Capstone
by PostLifeSyndrome
Summary: An alternate ending for those who didn't like the original. Focusing on the four main teams in the aftermath of the great ninja war, this story attempts to wrap everything up satisfactorily, with as many happy endings handed out as possible.
1. Team Seven

**Capstone**

"I'm sorry."

Sakura shrugged and began moving over to Naruto's good side, her feet raising small clouds of recently pulverized rock as they came down.

"Don't worry about it." she said, tossing the words over her shoulder casually. Sasuke was honestly a little miffed by the lack of a reaction. After all, apologies from him were rare and therefore precious to receive. He was really swallowing his pride here. Something a little less…offhand would be appreciated.

Of course, he would never say as much, so he just nodded to her somewhat briskly.

Naruto looked at her incredulously as she worked on his stump. He tried to sit up, but Sakura pushed him down gently yet firmly.

"What was up with that?" he demanded. "When was the last time you _ever_ heard Sasuke apologize? That must've taken a _lot _for him to say as much as he did!"

Sakura glared at him and huffed.

"And it took a lot for me to even say what I said, so tough. I just got out of a pretty nasty genjutsu that _he _put me in, so I'd think it's be understandable if he isn't my favorite person right now."

She cut off her healing chakra, her work done. With that same firm—almost maternal—touch, she brought Naruto to his feet and dusted off his back.

Naruto struggled to keep the grin off of his face. Their conversation was serious, but he was still so elated from finally managing to fulfill his promise to Sakura that the fight was becoming difficult.

"And to think that he was the guy to tell me my forehead was cute. I swear, I will never understand that man…"

Sasuke's head snapped around, and Naruto's body stiffened under her hands.

"Wait, what did I say?" Sasuke asked.

Sakura whirled to face him, both hands on her hips and her stance aggressive.

"You said "Sakura, you have such a large and charming forehead. It makes me want to kiss it." I remember because it was the sweetest thing a boy had ever told me, and don't you dare deny it or you'll lose your other arm!"

Sasuke stared at her silently for a few seconds. Finally, he spoke.

"I never said that."

Sakura cracked her knuckles and prepared to dole out a beating.

Naruto tensed further. Back when the team had just been formed, he remembered being terrified that Sakura would find out about his deceit. As the months passed, that fear lessened. He had expected to be caught out eventually, but he didn't expect it to happen now. He had just gotten out of a war—he wasn't eager to enter another so soon.

Still, his good nature wouldn't let him sacrifice Sasuke for his own well-being. It was time to fess up.

Naruto raised his remaining hand to stifle an awkward—and painfully fake—cough. Sakura stopped her advance and turned to him. He was now being skewered by the stares of her, Sasuke, and Kakashi. A few seconds of silence passed. Between them, the wind explored this new space in the landscape, kicking up dust as it went.

"He…uh…really didn't say that, Sakura…" said Naruto. Sakura sighed.

"Naruto, stop being all dramatic about it and just tell me."

Naruto looked affronted.

"I'm not being _dramatic_, I'm just trying to think of what to say!"

She crossed her arms and looked at him sternly.

"The truth," she said, "You don't have to worry about phrasing with me, Naruto. I've been with you since we were twelve. Just say it."

Naruto shut his eyes briefly. He knew he could trust her, but he'd also seen her punch the shit out of a goddess. That kind of thing was mighty intimidating.

_"No." _he thought, _"She's right. I can trust her."_

In fact, that whole ordeal with the goddess just highlighted one of the reasons why he felt he could. She was obscenely strong, but she never used that kind of strength on him. Sucking in air, Naruto leapt into the breach.

"Sasuke didn't say that. I did. I was using a henge to look like him."

Her jaw dropped. Taking advantage of every second he got, Naruto tried to explain quickly. His words spilled out all in one breath, joining the wind and tumbling through the valley.

"I didn't think you'd let me talk to you otherwise. I wanted to know what you thought of me. I'm sorry—"

Sakura shook her head. Then, she quickly stepped over and punched his good shoulder, cutting him off mid apology.

"Ow!"

She glared at him and moved in close—almost toe-to-toe with him.

"You dumbass! That was you the whole time? I probably would've given up on him like the rest of his fanclub if you hadn't done that!"

Naruto stumbled back a step, shocked.

"Wait, what?"

Sakura followed him, pressing her finger into his chest.

"After you ran off, Sasuke showed up! I asked him what he thought of me, and he said I was _annoying_! That would've killed it for me, but you…"

Naruto gulped and tried to take another step away, but Sakura quickly grabbed his shirt and pulled him back.

"_You_ gave me encouragement! I thought I was special to him, so I kept trying! And I've been so conflicted all this time, trying to reconcile the boy who complimented my forehead with the one who put that hole through your chest and hurt us both so much! I still carried a torch for him! I felt _guilty_ about my emotions, because even though my feelings for him had changed—and because my feelings for you were _changing_—I didn't want to betray him!"

She gripped his shirt with both hands and tugged him down to eye level. They were face to face when she ground out this next part.

"All because you had to be so goddamned _charming_ while wearing his face, you stupid bastard!"

"Sakura, I—"

"Shut up," she growled, before pulling him forward that last inch and silencing him with a kiss.

It was fierce and rough. Their lips were chapped and tasted of blood and dust. Naruto stood still, stunned into unresponsiveness as his brain tried to shift from absolute terror to absolute bliss, and got stuck somewhere in hopeful confusion. Before he could respond to the kiss, Sakura let go of his shirt and pushed him back. Her eyes were dark with emotion—intense, undefined, and threatening to boil over. Her face was flushed, and tear tracks cut through the grit and grime on her cheeks.

"If you _ever_ do anything so _stupid_, I swear I will…"

Naruto sorted himself out as she struggled to find the words to complete her threat. Resolute, he stepped towards her. She glared at him, but he wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close. He could feel the dust and tears smudging his chest through his mesh shirt. One of her hands came up and smacked his side half-heartedly, and he pulled her closer.

"I'm sorry," he said, and kissed her forehead. She squeezed him tightly. Though his whole body felt bruised and broken, he said nothing; he simply squeezed her back.

"What's with everyone apologizing to me today?" she mumbled into him, sniffing a little.

Naruto chuckled and awkwardly patted her back with his only arm, unintentionally breaking the hug when he did so. Sakura wiped her eyes on his chest and stepped back, smiling wide despite all she'd been through.

"We need to get you a replacement arm. You can't give proper hugs like this."

Naruto laughed and tried to scratch the back of his head with his missing arm. He winced at the phantom pain that shot through the lost nerves. Sakura reached over and rubbed his arm sympathetically.

"Yeah, that'll keep happening until we get you the replacement. Usually, phantom pain continues on even after that, but since your replacement arm is actually organic with nerves of its own, you shouldn't be having that problem."

Naruto chuckled and pointedly kept his stump down by his side.

"Thanks, Sakura."

She smiled. The words were simple, but heartfelt. Behind her, she heard a cough. Sakura whirled around.

Sasuke and Kakashi were still there. She'd like to say she couldn't believe she forgot about them, but with how hot her emotions had been running, she honestly wasn't surprised. It was still embarrassing though. Sasuke was looking away and Kakashi was pretending to read, but she knew they had seen everything.

"Well?" she demanded, while Naruto shuffled his feet behind her (she could practically _hear_ him blush!), "What do you want?"

Kakashi waved her off nonchalantly.

"Oh, nothing really. We should probably hurry up and release the infinite Tsukuyomi though."

Here he paused to scratch his cheek through the mask, adding: "I'd sure hate to come back to another army of white Zetsu…"

Finally done fighting, Naruto and Sasuke weren't particularly eager to launch back into another battle. The boys quickly joined their seals together, holding for a few seconds extra just to be sure.

"I think that's good," said Sasuke. Naruto laughed and let go.

"Sorry," he said, "It's just nice having you back."

Sasuke rolled his eyes and wiped his hand on his tattered pants. He frowned when he realized he just covered his sweaty palm with all the grime his black pants had hidden.

"Why is there so much damn dust?" he grumbled.

"You guys blew up a valley. All that rock had to go somewhere."

Kakashi didn't even bother looking up from his book as he said this. Sasuke answered with a grunt, regressing to old habits out of embarrassment from asking such an obvious question.

Naruto just chuckled and tried to rub the back of his head again, wincing as his brain's signal tried to reach neurons that weren't there. Sakura rolled her eyes and patted his back.

"We should hurry and wrap things up here. I doubt he'll stop doing that anytime soon."

Blushing, Naruto flinched as he did it again.

"Yeah, exactly. Let's go." she said, reaching to take his hand and whiffing as she grabbed the missing one.

"This'll take some getting used to." she grumbled before grabbing Naruto's good hand and dragging him off to check on the others.

xxxxx

They held hands at the funeral, dry-eyed. Sakura figured she hadn't fully grasped how many people had been lost yet; how much would change. Naruto's face was dry for another reason though. It was just like Kakashi had said on their first mission: He'd run out of tears. She expected he would grieve in his own way.

Sasuke stood on her other side. She couldn't see his face though—he was looking away. He never was one to wear his heart on his sleeve.

She felt Naruto squeeze her hand and looked back to him. He was still facing dead ahead, but his message was clear.

_"You're going to have to forgive him sometime." _she thought. _"Naruto talked a lot about the cycle of hatred, and holding this in my heart will only make things worse—especially now that Sasuke's actively looking for retribution."_

She looked back at her first crush.

_"You're going to have to forgive him sometime." _she thought, and took Sasuke's hand.

He turned his head and stared at her, black to green. She could see the shimmer of a tear on his cheek, clear and pure. He looked away again, and she squeezed his hand. after a few seconds, he squeezed back.

She cried then.

She cried for the people they had lost. She cried for what her team had lost too.

She cried for what they had become.

On either side, her hands were squeezed. She squeezed back, and pulled her boys in.

Team seven stood in front of the graves, surrounded by their mourning friends and comrades: veterans all. They stood together—holding and supporting—reunited at the end of one era and the start of the next.

xxxxx

Hinata watched Naruto walk closer. As he approached, she took a moment to center herself. He had asked to meet her at one of the more secluded park benches (there aren't any truly secluded ones in a Ninja village, but it was the thought that counted). She had a feeling about what he wanted to say, and it wouldn't do to faint or stutter too much during the conversation.

She was no fool. Hinata may not have scored as highly as Sakura in the academy, but she was an intelligent girl nonetheless. She had seen Sakura's attitude towards Naruto changing over the years, and she had seen how both of them had started acting differently since the war ended.

Naruto stopped in front of her and shifted awkwardly. He opened his mouth, closed it, and flinched as he tried to scratch the back of his head with the wrong arm. He was obviously nervous.

_"And I know exactly why." _she thought. _"He should be used to letting girls down gently by now though. I lost track of how many girls hit on him over the years, and I _know_ there were even more that I wasn't there for."_

"I really need to break that habit."

He said this with his fake smile spread wide, and Hinata knew he was just stalling.

_"I suppose it is heartening, knowing that he's so scared of hurting me."_

Naruto chuckled weakly, and the corners of her mouth twitched momentarily.

_"At the same time, this isn't something I'd expect from the man I admired. I guess he learned to watch what he said."_

"Is that what y-you came to tell me?" she said, crossing her arms under her chest (there was no other place to put them!) in what she hoped was a suitably confident manner, all the while ignoring the way her heart dropped. She wished—selfishly, she admitted—that this wouldn't happen, so that she could always have hopes, but she knew this had to be done so they both could get on with their lives. Either way, she wanted it over as soon as possible.

Naruto was a little caught off guard by Hinata's sassiness—stutter notwithstanding. He found himself stumbling over his words and backtracking like he'd just pissed off Sakura.

"Uh, n-no! I, uh…*ahem* I wanted to talk to you about, uh…um…"

He trailed off pitifully and scuffed the dirt.

"…you know…"

She did know. She knew he was talking about her confession to him, but after waiting as long as she had, she wanted him to say it out loud.

"No, I d-don't."

She felt like she was being pushy, but she wanted to get this over with, damn it. It was time for her to grow up and move on, and she couldn't do that without being more assertive.

Naruto was surprised. He hadn't had much interaction with Hinata, so his image of her was rather simplistic. This wasn't something he expected, and he chided himself for it. She was more than just the shy girl in the back of the class, and he should have recognized that. He'd made her wait a long time for this, so the least he could do was suck up and say what he needed to say without dancing around it.

"I wanted to talk to you about your confession."

Hinata turned redder, but also felt immensely satisfied. It was wonderful to finally hear him acknowledge what had happened and what she said. She nodded, not trusting her voice.

"I…well, I'm sorry. I…uh…"

Dammit, he was losing his nerve again. He closed his eyes and searched for the words. He knew what he had to say, but he didn't know how to say it. He was ashamed to admit it, but despite being comrades for so many years, he didn't know enough about Hinata to feel comfortable with this conversation. He knew her character was good and strong, but he didn't know how to talk to her.

He felt a light touch on his hand, and opened his eyes again. Hinata was bright red. He thought she was about to faint, and was therefore surprised when she spoke to him.

"J-just say it. Don't worry about being k-kind."

Her other hand clenched into a fist and she stared at the grass by the path. She knew what he would say, and she knew it would hurt to hear him say it.

But she wanted it over.

She wanted him to finally close this chapter, to let her find someone else without being stuck on him. She wanted him to be happy so that she could feel released of her responsibilities to him. She wanted it so badly that she welcomed the pain.

He breathed deeply with his diaphragm, forcing calm. He had already put this off too long. He had wronged her, and this was what he owed.

"I'm sorry, but I love Sakura. I'm in a relationship with her now."

Hinata nodded, surprised with how she felt. She didn't feel slighted or dismissed. She felt…better. More real. She had finally gotten an answer, and while it wasn't the one she had originally wanted, she found she didn't care as much as she once did. There was one last thing she wanted to do though.

"Can we at least be friends?"

She didn't want this to end with that dead tired "We can still be friends though" line. She would say it herself to keep him from having to do so.

The boy himself looked shocked.

"I thought we already were," he said.

She smiled.

"Acquaintanc-ces."

Naruto looked about to cut in with a powerful speech about how he knew her soul and it shined brightly or something, but she placed a finger on his lips. She wasn't getting interrupted. Not now.

"I admit my interest in y-y-you was based on what you represented to m-me. I was never very confident, so y-you were someone I l-looked up t-to. I admired the strength of your beliefs."

Naruto was blushing too. This wasn't something he was totally used to.

"But I n-never knew much else that wasn't obvious. You don't either."

She looked up at him; her face was fiery, but she staunchly refused to faint. She needed to say this.

"I w-want to ch-change that. I want us to be better f-friends."

Naruto smiled widely, and this time it was real.

"I'd like that too."

She smiled back, and felt at peace with herself. She had just held a conversation with Naruto—something she had never been able to do before, and something she knew she would be able to do again.

"G-glad you agree." She turned to walk away when a thought occurred to her, and she turned back around.

"By the w-way, if a girl acts around you like I did, it means she l-likes you."

Hinata giggled at his dumbstruck expression. She had a feeling that she'd just made his world make a lot more sense.

"Bye, Naruto."

She left then, not bothering to listen or wait for his reply. She finally had her closure.

Besides, he would probably be stuck like that for a while.

xxxxx

Sakura looked up from her book when she heard Naruto's apartment door open. Seeing him, she dog-eared the page and set it down next to her on the couch.

"So?" she asked. Hinata may have been a sort-of-but-not-really rival, but the girl was sweeter than anyone had any right to be, and Sakura was concerned about her feelings. Not enough to give up Naruto, of course, but still…yeah.

Naruto met her eyes, and she noticed he looked both shocked and deep in thought.

"Hey, Sakura…did you know that when a girl acts like Hinata, she likes you?"

They stared at each other for a few seconds, then she rolled her eyes.

"_Yes_, Naruto. We all did. We were waiting on you to figure it out."

"What? Since when?"

"Since we first saw the two of you in the same room."

"I thought she was just sick or something!"

Sakura grinned.

"Oh, she had a fever all right."

"She did?"

Sakura waited a few seconds. Naruto could be a bit slow on the uptake when it came to references.

"OH. I get it."

"Yup."

Naruto came over and plopped down next to her on the couch, bouncing her book off and onto the floor.

"This changes everything."

"Sure does."

"So that time that—"

"Yep."

"And then—"

"You bet."

"And that one girl from—"

"Definitely."

"And Shion…"

"Wanted to have your baby."

"Wow."

Naruto slumped back into the cushions. His head lolled back to face the ceiling. Sakura picked her book up off the ground and shifted around to lie on her back with her head on his lap. She cracked open the book and continued reading.

"But you never acted like that."

Sakura dog-eared and shut the book again.

"Some girls are more straightforward than others. Shion was one of them. I am too."

"But you never told me—"

"I don't want them yet."

"Yet?"

She shrugged.

"I have a feeling it'll happen eventually."

"Them?"

"You only want one?"

He shook his head frantically.

"Didn't think so."

All was silent in the apartment. Then:

"What _do _you want?"

Sakura grinned.

"I've already got it."

"…your book?"

She glared at him lightly for spoiling the moment.

"Dumb bastard," she growled, then grabbed him by the back of his head and pulled him down into a kiss.

xxxxx

Sasuke stood by the entrance to the village, gazing down the outbound road. He'd said he wanted to see how the world had been affected, and that was partly true. Only partly though. He was also looking for reconciliation. Though he'd been helpful in their final battle, Sasuke highly doubted that Orochimaru would just be "good" now. More cautious, yes, but his mock-death had done nothing to improve his moral compass. Sasuke was responsible for his return to wakefulness, and there would be repercussions. He couldn't stay in the village, knowing the locations of several of Orochimaru's bases and what he did in them. It would eat away at his soul, to have this knowledge and do nothing with it. Sasuke felt obligated to find and kill his mentor.

That wasn't the only thing that tugged on his conscience though.

He needed to find out what had happened to Team Hawk. He hadn't seen them after the defeat of the Ootsutsuki, and he felt closure was needed. Either to make up to Karin how he'd treated her, or to ensure that Juugo found a place to stay. If Hidden Mist hadn't already reclaimed the seven swords, he could possibly help Suigetsu out too.

"You weren't just gonna leave without saying goodbye again, were you?"

Sasuke turned slowly. He knew who had spoken, but decided to forgo his habitual coolness for respectful courtesy. He was mildly shocked to see Sakura there too, considering how this encounter had gone for her last time. Kakashi stood behind his teammates, his book conspicuously absent.

Sasuke grinned.

"I'll admit, I considered it briefly. Then I realized you'd just drag me back if I did."

Naruto grinned back.

"Damn right," he said.

Sakura brushed back a few stray hairs.

"Sure we can't convince you to stay?" she asked. She didn't sound hopeful, but she wasn't hostile either. Sasuke's smile widened; it felt good to mend broken bridges.

"Sorry. Just saying I've changed isn't enough. I need to go fix what I did."

Kakashi stepped forward.

"It looks like you've grown into a good man. I wish I could've played a bigger part in that, but I'm glad you've turned out alright nonetheless."

He reached into his hip pouch and pulled out a wrapped parcel, which he pressed into Sasuke's hands.

"Here," he said, "this is yours now. It's the least I could do."

He stepped back as Sasuke searched for a place to stow the small book-like package in his already full pack. Sakura stepped forward and stood expectantly as he located a space.

"Try not to die. We only just got you back, and as nice as beating up death would look on our record, that's a situation I'd rather avoid."

Sasuke then found himself pulled into a tight hug.

"Visit us whenever you're in the area."

"I will."

That said, Sakura stepped back and was replaced by Naruto.

The two boys stood silently for a spell, then Naruto took Sasuke's human hand in his, and pressed what felt like cool scratched metal into it. He kept their hands clasped.

"You know I probably won't be able to fit that anywhere."

Naruto smiled softly—something that looked out of place on his face, accustomed as it was to expressing in extremes.

"I'm sure you'll find a place for this."

He let go then, and Sasuke looked down to find his old forehead protector looking back at him, the leaf insignia scratched through. He choked up a little and looked up to meet Naruto's damp eyes.

The two boys struggled to find words that were sufficient, but all that they came up with failed to match the depth needed, and sunk. Forgoing words, the two men hugged.

Goodbyes finished, Sasuke set off down the trail. Behind him, he heard Kakashi say: "Did you have to give him that? You totally overshadowed my gift."

**AN: There's probably going to be more of this coming along. I have some ideas for how each character's story should end, but some are more fleshed out than others (I know what I'm doing with Chouji, Ino, TenTen, Lee, Hinata, and Kiba, but don't ask me about Shino or Sai). I'm a perfectionist, so don't expect quick updates. I'm also working on another story. It's a Naruto and Megaman Zero crossover that started as a fun little writing exercise, and is currently over 28,000 words long. Anyway, let me know what you think.**

**-Post.**


	2. Team Ten

**Team 10**

Chouji met Karui during the war. It wasn't the best place to meet a girl, but for people in their profession, they'd take what they could get.

It was far from romantic. They didn't stop to stare soulfully into each other's eyes (that sort of thing gets you killed). All Chouji did was punch a Zetsu. Karui was running off to somewhere, and cut it in half when it almost landed on her.

She yelled "watch your aim, jackass!"

And then she kept running. Neither saw the other's face, but this trifling meeting became a foundation.

xxxxx

Ino met Sai when he joined Team 7. He had called her beautiful, and he looked a bit like Sasuke. Ino wasn't really looking for a relationship, but her first thought when meeting him was: "He'll do."

It was not the most inspiring of admissions, but it surprised her. She didn't think she was still so immature as to base everything off of looks.

Still, as she spent more time with him, she could begin to se why he _would_ do. It wasn't just that he was cute, or that he'd called her beautiful (he wasn't the first, and though she appreciated the attention, Ino liked to think it took more than kind words and a pretty face to get in her bed), he was also funny, in his own strange and stunted way. When he got Sakura riled up, Ino laughed. When Naruto did, she still laughed, but she also felt like she was intruding on something.

Okay, to be honest, most of her attraction had been because he was cute and complimented her. She wasn't going to admit that to herself though.

xxxxx

When Shikamaru met Temari, it'd been during the Chuunin Exams. She had almost broken TenTen's back with that fan of hers, and though he wasn't exactly pleased, he didn't bother to do anything. Lee did what he'd guessed the boy would do, and stepped in for him.

They'd fought again in the exam finals. He wasn't psyched about it, but thanks to Kiba, he had no choice.

That was about when he became interested in her. Here was a girl who had actually made him work. His initial strategy had needed to be modified because of her. It was new, and though it cost him much more effort than he would have liked, he was definitely intrigued. Perhaps if the invasion hadn't happened, he would've challenged her to a game of Shogi.

xxxxx

Chouji actually met Karui the morning after the final confrontation, when all the cocoons dissolved. All of the big players knew each other by this point, and had been gathered in the same place. It was very convenient for checking who had made it and who hadn't.

After the customary hugs and pat-downs for missing limbs, the survivors started doing what any group does, and traded stories. Their voices were loud and boisterous, as if testing that they were really living. The stories were complementary—of selves and others—and the tellers exuberant. It had reached the point where villages had started to bleed together as speakers went in search of new audiences.

Chouji had always been a late riser, and had only recently woken up. He'd found Ino already, and now he was looking for Shikamaru (and Temari, by association). On his search, he passed a particularly loud speaker who's story caught his attention.

"…and so I was just _booking_ it, right? And as I'm running, guess what happens. Some guy chucked one of those plant-men at me! Yeah! I just saw this _HUGE_ fist pop up over a ridge, and seconds—and I mean _seconds—_later, the whitey comes flyin' towards me. So I cut it in half!"

By now, Chouji had stopped. One of the guys in the circle beckoned him over. Idly, Chouji noticed that the man's facial hair was styled like Asuma's. The girl telling the story glanced at him briefly.

"Hey, welcome. I was just getting to the good part."

She turned back and got back into it. Chouji had to shift back a little as her arms went up. She was an expressive speaker.

"So like I was saying, this white plant man gets knocked towards me by some huge fist—must'a been an Akimichi or somethin'…"

The man who reminded him of Asuma cut in.

"Hey buddy, you look like an Akimichi. You know anything about this?"

The storyteller, a dark-skinned girl with red hair, turned to Chouji and looked closely at his face.

"Hey, I think I saw you in Konoha. Lemme see your hands."

Accustomed to bossy women after working with Ino, Chouji relented. The girl grabbed up his right hand in hers and pulled it up near her face.

"Yeah…" she said, "…yeah this looks familiar."

Chouji usually didn't speak much with new people, but he had no time for shyness after that last battle.

"Did you say: 'watch your aim, jackass?'"

The girl gave a start and almost dropped his hand.

"That was you?"

"Apparently."

"Holy shit, dude! What're the odds?"

Chouji shrugged.

"We'd have to ask my friend Shikamaru. He could figure it out."

Still holding his hand, the girl shook it once, firmly.

"I'm Karui," she said, glossing over both what he'd said, and that she'd insulted him.

"Chouji," he responded, but she kept going anyway.

"That was really cool, you know. I've heard of you guys before, but I've never seen anything like that in person. What's it like?"

He shrugged. She still hadn't let go.

"Heavy."

"No shit, dude. That was _MASSIVE. _I bet you gotta train a lot for that, right?"

"Since birth."

Karui rolled her eyes, finally dropping his hand to place hers on her hips.

"Clans, am I right?"

She looked him up and down, before patting him on the side.

"Still, you look like you're used to it, right bud?"

He scowled. Fat jokes were still not welcome with him.  
"Chouji," he corrected, "and that's for our techniques. They need a lot of calories to use."

She had the grace to look briefly apologetic.

"Sorry Chouji. You eat a lot of starches?"

"Yes."

"You don't really talk too much, do you?"

"One of my teammates usually does enough for my friend and I."

"Who's your friend?"

"Shikamaru."

"Describe him for me, will ya?"

"His hair looks like a pineapple."

"Oh! I know who you're talking about. Say, do you know Naruto?"  
Chouji wasn't sure if she was asking because they were both from Konoha, or because she thought Naruto's hair was pineapple-esque, so he just nodded.

"How's he doing? He get his buddy back?"

Chouji shrugged again.

"I didn't really see where they went when this all ended. I haven't seen him or Sasuke around…"

"Yeah, Sasuke! That was that asshole's name!"

"…so either they're somewhere else around here, or they're the reason why we're all free right now."

"No shit?"

"Their team has a bit of a history with this kind of thing."

"Like what?"

"You'd have to ask him."

Karui nodded and took his hand again.

"Let's go find him then!"

One of her audience members piped up.

"Wait, what about the story?"

Karui just yelled over her shoulder (and into Chouji's ear).

"You're living it!"

She tried to drag Chouji's massive frame off, and he trotted behind her obligingly.

xxxxx

A few yards over, Shikamaru and Temari were watching the redhead from Kumo go off with Chouji.

"I wonder where those two are off to," said Temari, leaning slightly into Shikamaru's side.

"Off to find Naruto, I'd expect."

"Makes sense."

The two were silent for a few seconds before she broke down.

"Okay, what were your clues?"

"Only if you tell me yours."

"Naruto is one of the few people those two have in common," Temati explained. "Though she might also ask about Sasuke, Naruto remains the most likely because of his…effect on people."

"Also, it wouldn't matter if they were looking for Sasuke," added Shikamaru, "because the two are probably in the same place. On top of that, Choiji was likely looking for me. Going and finding Naruto is the only thing that could have possibly overridden that."

"Aww, are you jealous?"

"He'll come find me later."

Temari nudged him with her elbow.

"That wasn't a _no~_"

Shikamaru shifted away from her slightly, and she followed. That was unusual for her to do in public.

"Easy with my ribs, please."

"Sorry," she murmured, and wrapped her arms around him.

"Temari?"

"Yeah?"

Her voice was softer. Shikamaru didn't blush, but he could feel his face heating up.

"What are you doing?"

"Say, Shika…what did you see in the Tsukuyomi?"

He stiffened unconsciously. Damn woman knew what to say.

"What did you see?"

"I asked you first."

Shikamaru struggled. He really didn't want to tell her what he saw. He would be embarrassed, and he still feared subconsciously that she would react…unfavorably.

"I saw Asuma and Kurenai."

He had paused though. That told her all she needed to know.

"What, no me?" she teased, "I thought I was more important to you."

"You were there."

"Half-truths now?"

Her voice was sing-song and wheedling. She was playing with him.

"I don't want to say it." he said, struggling to maintain his cool. As soon as those words were out of his mouth, she dropped all pretenses and hardened her voice.

"Tough. Spit it out."

"…"

"Do it, or I'm kissing you in public."

"You're bluffing. Displays like that embarrass you too. On top of that, your brothers are nearby."

"So is Ino. And, my brothers won't kill _me_."

Shikamaru was briefly silent. He could see no way out, and the way she had hugged him pinned his hands, which prevented him from assuming his thinking pose. Damned woman.

He relented.

"I told you I wouldn't even bother with marriage."

A triumphant grin. It both tightened his jaw and lightened his stomach.

"I thought so."

And then she kissed him anyway.

Shikamaru was aware of a few things. Though they had kissed before, he still found himself marveling at the sensation of her lips on his. Absently, he heard Ino squeal. Temari's arms tightened around him, and he felt a prickling on his back that he desperately hoped wasn't sand.

When she released him, he spoke.

"I told you the truth."

"I know you did. I still haven't told you what I saw though."

"…What did you see?"

"Us. Us with a future."

"So you decided it was time to be active?"

"I'd have to eventually. I know what I saw was an illusion, but I'd still like to make it a reality."

She let go of him and stood straight. His arms immediately snapped into the proper position to amplify his thoughts.

"We don't have to get married, you know. The ceremony always seemed like too much trouble to me too. A Civil Union will be enough. Oh, and we're spending more time together. I know we're from different villages, but this is important. So that means that either one of us moves to the other's village, or we move between the two as a unit."

Shikamaru had dropped fully into his thinking pose, and was still drawing nothing but blanks. He let out a long breath of air.

"You really are trouble, aren't you."

xxxxx

Naruto had been easy to find. The newly decimated Vally of the End still had a massive column of dust hanging above it. In Chouji's relaxed mind, he decided it was as if what once was cliff wall was trying to return to its old shape. He absently noted that his rather nonplussed attitude was a little odd, but given what had happened last time Naruto and Sasuke had met here, he decided his lack of surprise made sense.

So it was that when they reached Team 7, Chouji's first words were—rather than "What happened," or, "What did you do," as would be expected—"Where'd the water go?"

Karui had him covered though, exclaiming "What did you do?!" almost on top of Chouji's laconic question.

Sakura stared at them before laughing. Naruto joined her, and Sasuke idly pointed to the sad trickle where the once mighty waterfall had been.

"I wonder where the rest went," said Kakashi, as calmly as one discussed the weather.

Then it started to rain.

"Oh. There it is."

Kakashi reached out and patted Naruto and Sasuke's heads.

"Good work, you two."

They walked on then, with Naruto and Sakura still laughing, and Sasuke shaking his head.

"Hey! Don't ignore me!"

Chouji patted her shoulder.

"Don't worry about it. I said this was normal for them, but they still need to unwind."

The redhead turned to face him, astonished.

"That's the most I've heard you say since I met you."

"No it isn't," said Chouji, and he began to walk off after them.

Karui jogged up to him and quickly fell in step.

"Yeah, I guess not. So what now, do we just follow them?"

"They're probably headed where we are."

"And where's that?" she asked, her energy and curiosity at war with his indifference.  
"Back with everyone else."

"Makes sense."

She adopted a casual pose, trying not to show how her anticipation was eating away at her.

They continued at Chouji's pace for a bit, never losing sight of Team 7, but maintaining a respectful distance. Finally, she snapped.

"Okay, we're catching up to them. I wanna know what happened."

"No. Give them time."

A hefty hand landed on her shoulder. She shrugged it off.

"We did though!"

"Be patient. They've been through a lot."

She rounded on him.

"So have we! I just fought and almost lost the biggest war this world has ever seen! I'm hopped up on adrenaline; patience is not an option!"  
"Do you cook?"

Karui stopped. Chouji waited, but kept an eye on Naruto's back.

"The fuck did you ask me? If I could _cook?!_ You sexist or something? What kind'a question is that?"

"For an Akimichi? A good one. Cooking is a big thing for us. I do takoyaki and yakisoba, and I've been trying to get a pork recipe from my favorite restaurant. It hasn't been going well."

He took her hand and gently tugged forward.

"We should keep moving. We don't want to lose sight of them."

"Yeah, yeah. Okay."

She tugged her hand from his and started walking quickly.

"I cook alright," she said. "Just alright though. I can do curry."

"Is it spicy?" Chouji asked, following her.

"Do you like spicy?"

"Yes."

"Oh."

She turned to look ahead, smiling a little despite herself.

"Yeah, it's pretty spicy."

"Good. Mild curry isn't curry."

"What is it then?"

"Stew."

Karui snickered a little. She'd grown used to Chouji's brevity, and was finding it a refreshing change from Omoi's long-winded ramblings.

"So that pork place of yours…is it good?"  
"If it wasn't, I wouldn't eat there."

Karui quickly rolled her eyes. She didn't want to look up into a raindrop, but she wouldn't abandon her sassiness just because of inclement weather.

"Well, yeah, duh. I was trying to make conversation though."

"It is. It's a grill. The pork is served to you, and you cook it on the hot tabletop."

"Seems pretty straightforward."

"I've been trying to figure out what they marinate the pork in."

"Any luck?"

"I haven't gotten the flavor exactly right, but I'm working on it."

"But if you finished it, would there be any point in going to the restaurant?"

"It's where my teacher took us on special occasions. We still use it as a place to meet."

"Oh."

He didn't say anything about it, but Karui got the feeling that their teacher was no longer around.

"What was his name?"

"Who?"

"Your teacher."

"Asuma."

"I think I've heard of him."

"He was one of the twelve guardians."

Karui whistled appreciatively.

"Wow. What happened to him?"

"Hidan."

"Sorry."

Chouji gestured loosely with a hand.

"It happened."

He left it at that. The silence between the two became awkward, and Karui tried to think of something to say. Chouji spoke up first.

"Is there anything you're trying to learn?"

"Like what, a technique?"

He shook his head.

"No. Food."

"Oh! Uh…I've been wanting to learn to make sushi, but Kumo doesn't really have good access to fresh fish."

Chouji nodded approvingly.

"Sushi's good."

"I had it once when my team was sent to Mist. I remember Omoi was scared of eating fish raw, but it was actually pretty tasty. I shut him up by sticking one of the maki rolls in his mouth. I think he liked it, but he wouldn't stop talking about how I could've given him food poisoning or something after that."

She looked over at Chouji to find him grinning.

"What?"

"Your teammate."

"He isn't funny, he's just frustrating! He overthinks everything, and once he gets started, he can't stop! Each situation he imagines just leads into another and another! It's tiring to listen to him, you know?"

"I can guess."

She bopped his shoulder.

"Now you, you're different. It's nice to talk to you, because you actually listen!"

"If you met my teammate, you'd know why."

"Who, that Shikamaru guy?"

"No. Ino."

"She talk a lot?"

"She doesn't stop."

"How would that make you a good listener?"

"She checks to make sure we were paying attention."

"What, does she give you a pop quiz?"

She snickered like it was a joke, but when Chouji replied, he was dead serious.

"Yep."

"Wow."

The rain was starting to turn the dusty earth to mud. The two slogged onward in a comfortable atmosphere filled with the patter of rain, and the light splashing of newly-birthed puddles.

xxxxx

Before returning to their villages and honoring the fallen, the survivors celebrated their victory. They did this in a nearby town that had survived the carnage, commandeering much of the commercial sector for the event.

While much of the army milled about outside and elsewhere, the big players from the different villages got together in the biggest inn in town. There, Gaara had given a brief speech on behalf of the Gokage. It was a nice speech, but for Sai, the memorable part had been when Naruto got up and gave a speech of his own.

He'd talked about unity, new friendships, and old quarrels set aside. He talked about Jiraiya, and how he was certain that this was what the man had always dreamed of. And while much of the audience were surprised that the old spymaster had been a peace-lover, those who knew him found that addition particularly poignant.

He was probably going to say more, but Sakura pulled him down from the table and took the bottle from his hands. Considering how heated his face was getting, that was probably a good thing. Sai hadn't known the boy as long as she had, but he had been around enough to know that the poor guy could only go so long before completely destroying a moment. She must've decided that he'd reached a good stopping point, and Sai couldn't agree more.

He'd lost track of those two after that. Not much later, Sasuke left to visit with team Hawk, who'd opted to stay outside with Juugo (who disliked both crowds and enclosed spaces). Sai had hung around with Kakashi for a bit, but after Anko showed up and dragged the man off, he'd decided it'd be in his best interests not to follow.

One hour in, and Sai was already alone.

He'd expected as much. One of the first things Team 7 had done after he'd joined was go after Sasuke. Sai knew he was just a stand-in from the beginning, and while the original, emotionless him was okay with that, he was now finding that same acceptance hard to come by as such a casual dismissal rankled his newfound feelings.

"Lonely?"

"Not really."

Sai responded automatically, his fake smile plastering itself over the raw truth like a bandage.

"Thank you for asking though."

He turned to find out who had spoken to him, and met Ino's doubting gaze.

"Hello, beautiful," he said.

"Hello to you too, Sai. You're a shitty liar and your smile is even faker than usual. What's up?"

Sai kept his smile up even though she'd just called him on it.

"Nothing. Naruto and Sakura just require privacy. Sasuke has gone outside, and Kakashi is off with Anko. What about you, gorgeous? Where is your team?"

"Wait, Kakashi and Anko? What—actually, nevermind. I can find out about that later."

Ino crossed her arms and leaned against the wall next to Sai.

"As for my teammates, they're off with other people. Shika's with Temari—surprise surprise—and Chouji's hanging out with this one girl from Kumo—Karui, I think."

Sai straightened.

"Oh?"

"What, do you know her?"

He slumped back against the wall.

"We've met. She and Naruto had an altercation back when Kumo thought Sasuke had killed B."

"Huh. I don't remember hearing about that."

"He didn't tell anyone. I only know because I was there."

"Should I be worried about Chouji?"

"I don't think so. B is alive and Sasuke has been forgiven."

"Are you okay with that?"

"Pardon me?"

"You were his replacement, right? I notice you aren't with the rest of the team."

"And? I notice you aren't with the rest of yours."

Ino huffed.

"I don't need to hang out with my team, you know. I have other friends."

"I could say the same to you."

"Yeah? Well where are they? Why aren't you with your "other friends?""

"Why aren't you with yours?"

"Will you stop throwing my words back at me? It's really annoying!"

"It's still an appropriate response."

"They're busy!"

"As are mine."

Ino threw her arms up in exasperation.

"God! Talking to you is like talking to a wall!"

"I like to think I'm a bit more talkative than most walls."

She grabbed him by the front of his shirt.

"Buddy, I don't care how cute you are. I will punch you if you keep this up."

Sai was also beginning to get annoyed, which he found strange. The last time he had felt anger had been when he fought Deidera. Though he had had only limited interaction with her, this girl was already forcing an emotional response. It was intriguing.

"I wasn't aware you found me cute," he said, smiling in a manner he hoped was disarming, "I'll make a note of that."

She growled and marched off. As she was still holding his collar, Sai was forced to stumble after her. She dragged him to a room off of the main hall and opened the door. Tossing him inside, Ino stomped in and slammed the door behind her.

"Look, you bastard…" she began, but was cut off by a very familiar voice.

"Um…"

Ino and Sai both turned to see Naruto and Sakura. Naruto was reclined, with Sakura straddling his lap. They were still clothed (thank god), but both were very red and looking rather unkempt.

The two pairs stared at each other in silence. Sai felt like he should say something, but couldn't think what.

Ino could.

"So, making up for lost time, are we?" she said, with a wink and a saucy smile. Sai was amazed that Ino could make such a suggestive expression simply by moving a bit of muscle and skin.

He wasn't sure if it had its intended effect though as immediately after, all of Sakura's embarrassment was consumed and replaced by rage.

"OUT!"

She chucked a pillow at Ino, but missed and hit Sai. Laughing, Ino grabbed his hand and pulled him into the hallway. She closed the door behind him and felt it shudder as another pillow hit it at high speed.

Bemused by this interaction, he spoke up.

"I'm afraid I don't get it. Does this mean we're friends?"

She turned to look at the strange boy.

"What?"

"Well, you did to Sakura what I did to you. And she reacted the same way that you did. I have heard that you two are friends, so does that mean the same for us?"

Ino looked like she was about to say something, but she gave up and shrugged instead.

"…you know what? Sure," she said, "we're friends."

Sai smiled and nodded.

"Excellent. Right here then."

"Huh?"

"You asked where my other friends were. We are friends, so right here."

She paused, then began to snicker.

"…dumb ass," she muttered, looking down and shaking her head.

"Pardon me?" he said, unsure of why she was insulting him when (as far as his limited ability to read a mood could tell) there was no hint of maliciousness in their conversation.  
"Nothing. Just…come on."

He was about to press the issue when Ino took his hand—gently this time—and made to lead him back to the party.

"Are we going to try another room?" he asked, trying to find some foothold that would allow him to begin comprehending his situation.

He couldn't tell if he was wrong, because Ino failed to react in any of the ways he was used to. Rather than congratulating him for his astuteness (what he would prefer) or smacking him for his insulting ignorance (what he was used to), she stopped moving. Nothing was said immediately. For an uncomfortable few seconds, she looked him up and down before finally speaking up.

"Why, do you want to?"

Without any frame of reference, Sai was unable to make an educated guess about what answer was the right one. He was forced to be honest.

"I am interested to see where that was going."

Ino looked puzzled.

"Where what was going?" she asked, and he elaborated, feeling increasingly unsure of his words.

"I want to know what would have happened in that room if Naruto and Sakura had not been there."

Her hand released his and glided up his arm, resting on his shoulder. She seemed more comfortable now, like she had returned home from foreign lands to find everything exactly where she had left it. He supposed that was good, because he felt like someone had been moving his stuff around.

"Were you…expecting something?" she asked, and her voice hung in his head; an echo or a track on repeat. It looped in his brain like the last thought before sleep, or a fever dream, hazy and half-waking. He looked at her and he got it. Ino had always been flirty, but in charge of her situation. He had done something to take control away from her, and she was reverting to old habits and routines to get it back. She was treating him just like everyone else.

He looked at her, and he saw not only Ino, but Ino the Blank Page. Their few past interactions had left few marks on her surface, and now only ghost lines remained. He could see the options reflected in her; the possibilities of what to create. This new relationship was his canvas, and he could make it into anything he wanted.

Anything he wanted.

He saw Ino the Blank Page, and he knew just what he wanted to paint.

"Yes," he said, "I suppose I did."

He laid down his first brush stroke then. With the image of black ink sweeping across his mind, he recaptured the hand on his shoulder, slid his free hand up to spread between her shoulder blades, and pulled her in to a kiss.

When he pulled away, he expected her to be stunned. He had, after all, taken all initiative, and should have put her completely off balance. Instead, she had a grin that reminded him a bit too much of a sprung trap.

"Oh, buddy," she said, "You have _no_ idea what you just got yourself into."

Apprehensive, but mostly intrigued, Sai offered no resistance when Ino opened the door behind her and pulled him in.

Sai learned a few new feelings that night.

xxxxx

**AN: Another update! I can write more than just one-shots! Incredible. **

**You may have noticed that this chapter is longer than the last one. Well, there's a good reason for that. In the last chapter, I was writing a relationship that already had the foundation, the frame, the walls…pretty much everything but the roof. Most of the work had been done for me. **

**In this chapter (with the exception of Shikamaru and Temari), I had to do the opposite. The roof was in place, and I had to build the house beneath it. This is also why, for everyone but Shikamaru, I only had the very beginning of the relationship written. The ending is canon. I'm trying to explain how they got there. If you aren't satisfied, don't worry. The couples interact with each other, so previous teams and pairings will be getting further development in later chapters. Speaking of which, I still have to figure out what to do with Shino. Ciao!**


	3. Team Gai

**Team Gai**

TenTen sat on the edge of her bed and stared at the floor. Weapon racks sat loaded around the room. Her eyes weren't looking at anything in particular, but her mind was watching Neji die. It was a fresh wound, and she couldn't help but pick at it.

She knew she shouldn't. TenTen had gotten the same lessons as everyone else. She remembered learning about trauma management from Ino's dad, back when he was still alive.

And every thought just dug her deeper and deeper. She took a deep breath and let it out. Deciding a change in scenery was in order, TenTen leaned back on her elbows and stared at the ceiling.

God she was a wreck.

She probably would have stayed there all day if someone hadn't come knocking on her apartment door.

"Hello TenTen! Are you in there?"

Oh lord no.

"It is Lee!"

TenTen rolled over and squeezed her eyes shut. Maybe he'd go away.

"You have been missing training these past few days! I thought I would come check on you!"

She should at least answer the door, if only to keep him from knocking it down. Still, she couldn't seem to summon up the will or energy to move. Maybe it would be alright.

CRACK!

"I knocked too hard, TenTen! I am so sorry!"

Dammit.

TenTen rolled over and glared at the hole in her door. Lee was on the other side, staring into her small apartment. As soon as she made eye contact, Lee waved at her. She groaned and buried her face in a pillow.

"I am sorry TenTen. Are you alright?"

"No."

She didn't have the energy to lie. That was probably a mistake though.

"I am coming in."

That got her moving. Quickly she pulled her face out and turned it to the door again.

"Wait, Lee…"

*Click*

Lee stuck his arm through the hole he made and undid the latch. Then he stepped in. TenTen buried her face and groaned. It was nice that he didn't knock the door down like she'd feared, but she just wanted to be left alone. It was nice that Lee wanted to help, but the boy had about as much tact as Naruto.

"Is Neji making you sad?"

Case in point.

"Oh, I am sorry, TenTen. That was thoughtless of me."

"Huh?"

Lee barely ever noticed when he made a (verbal) misstep.

"I said that I was sorry, TenTen. I did not mean to bring up our dead teammate."

Wow.

"…I have done it again."

"Y~ep."

"I am sorry that I have made you sad, TenTen. I shall do my best to cheer you up. If I cannot, then I will climb the monument with my hands alone!"

She buried her face deeper as he started shouting again.

"No, really Lee. It's fine. You don't have to—"

"It is alright, TenTen! I have promised it, and so I shall do it!"

She could hear the whoosh of spandex through air as he struck his favorite pose.

"Lee, please. Just leave me alone."

Lee walked away. TenTen raised her head to see if he'd really gone, only to catch a sudden glare of midday sun when Lee opened the blinds.

"It is a glorious day, TenTen! We should be outside!"

She squinted and saw him against the glare. She focused on his silhouette as her eyes adjusted.

"No, Lee. Leave me alone."

He walked over and took her hand.

"Come! You will feel better with the sun on your face and fresh air in your lungs!"

"Lee, the sun's in my face right now, and that hole you knocked in my door will do fine for fresh air, thanks."

Still, he persisted.

"You must do something. It will help, I am sure of it!"

"I am doing something."

He paused.

"TenTen, you are letting your grief consume you."

"I _know_. Now leave me alone."

"…Would it make you happier if I did?"

"_Yes."_

He stood and let go.

"Very well. I will see you tomorrow."

He shut the door behind him. Bastard didn't even have the courtesy to close the blinds.

xxxxx

The next day, he was back.

"Come with me, TenTen."

She groaned and rolled over. He had opened the blinds again. Bastard.

"TenTen, you must come with me."

"No I don't."

"You must. Have you eaten today?"

"Yes. I had a sandwich."

She hadn't.

"Then we will go have lunch."

"I already ate."

She hadn't had that either.

"There are no dishes in your sink, TenTen. You have not eaten lunch."

She didn't have a dishwasher, but she wasn't counting on Lee of all people to be perceptive.

"Fine. I haven't eaten lunch. I'm not hungry though."

"TenTen, you must eat. When was the last time you had food?"

"Yesterday."

"There were no dishes in your sink yesterday, either."

Damn.

"Leave me alone Lee."

"Not until you are better, TenTen."

"I'm _fine_."

"I do not think so."

"Well, you're not me, so you wouldn't know."

"I do not _need_ to be you to tell. You have been in here for three days, and I think it has been that long since you have had a full meal, too. Am I wrong?"

"Get out, Lee."

"Am I wrong?"

"No! Now get out!"

She felt worse as soon as she yelled. She knew he was just trying to help, but he was so _pushy_. He treated this whole situation like it was his training; something to be attacked relentlessly.

"Lee, I appreciate what you're trying to do. Really. But I need to be alone. Please leave."

He was silent. She heard him rise and walk off. She wondered if he was off to climb the monument again. She felt like the thought should be making her smile, but it only sunk her deeper into sadness.

She rolled over when the door closed and felt the cool touch of porcelain against her forehead. Sitting up, she saw that Lee had left a plate on the edge of her bed, with a PB&amp;J sitting on it.

This time, she did smile a little.

xxxxx

When Lee came back the next day, he found a plate lying in the sink.

"Thanks for the sandwich."

He grinned widely.

"You are welcome, TenTen. It makes me happy to see that you ate it."

She grunted something in response, and he walked over and opened the blinds. He was feeling particularly hopeful about today. He had a new approach he wanted to try out.

"Would you like to come with me?"

"I'm fine."

Right.

Lee walked over and sat on her bed. She scooted over.

"I miss him too."

"Duh."

"He and I were rivals to begin with, but I always knew him as a friend."

"I know. We were all on the same team."

"I owe him much. When he became stronger, I became stronger. And when he grew as a person, I did as well."

"I was there the whole time, Lee. I saw it happen."

"You are not being very helpful, TenTen."

"Sorry."

He scowled. He had been trying to make her feel better, not worse.

"What I was trying to say was that Neji was my brother. And when he died, a part of me almost went with him. But I cannot falter, because that part of me was the part that he had made. It was the part that had learned from him, that had felt for him. I knew I could not falter, because that was the part that carried my brother, and that was the part I would share with others."

Here he turned, facing her at last. She had her back to him, but she was listening.

"This is why you must come with me, TenTen. There is a part of him in you as well, and I cannot see that die."

She was silent. Concerned, Lee placed his hand on her shoulder.

"I loved him. I was sure of it."

He stayed silent, not knowing what to say, and in doing so saying the right thing.

"When he died, I was in shock. I wasn't sure it was real. When I was in the infinite tsukuyomi, I saw him alive again. I think that made it worse, having him back and losing him so soon. I had been so certain of what we had…I don't know. I don't feel like it's real, and I wish it wasn't."

"It is."

"I know."

"Did talking help?"

She sighed.

"A little, but not much. I've been saying that stuff in my head for the last few days. Saying it out loud felt nice, but it also just reaffirmed my feelings."

"…did what I say help?"

"Not as much as you'd hope. I've heard that speech before you know. That's a cruel thing to say, but it's hard to feel an emotional impact when I've seen it in every book I've read, and heard it in every movie I've watched."

She rolled her head and gave him a wan smile.

"Your ending was stronger than theirs though."

Lee deflated. He felt her hand touch his.

"Lee, I really appreciate what you're doing, but talk is cheap. Actions matter."

He perked up then.

"Actions are what I am good at!"

He rose, presumably to climb the monument and plan for tomorrow, but her hand stayed on his and held him back.

"That was your cue to stay, dummy."

"I was going to make you another sandwich."

"…Oh."

He smiled again.

"But I will keep you company. That way, I can make sure that you eat dinner as well."

TenTen groaned again, but this time she felt her mouth tug up into a smile as well. Trust Lee to ruin the mood.

"Fine, but not PB&amp;J. I had that yesterday."

xxxxx

The next day, Lee didn't bother coming since he was already there. TenTen was reminded of this when he opened the blinds at 6 A.M. and placed a Peanut Butter and Banana sandwich next to her head.

She opened her eyes blearily and took it all in. What Lee did, he did well. Right now he did sandwiches, and this one was perfectly proportioned and completely symmetrical. He must've been practicing until he'd gotten the right amounts of everything. She'd probably have to get more bread soon.

"We need to teach you some other recipes. A good diet needs variety."

"Very well, TenTen! I will learn more recipes! If I cannot, I will take classes!"

She paused with half of the sandwich already eaten.

"'Take classes?' That was oddly rational. I was expecting something like "Do a thousand kicks" or whatever."

"Kicking would not help my cooking skills. I am finding the transition from fighting to housework difficult to apply my training methods to."

She laughed and rolled her eyes, feeling better already. Having company helped a lot.

"What would you like to do today?"

TenTen finished chewing the last of the sandwich.

"Is this your way of tactfully asking me to go outside with you?"

"Yes."

She hummed and stretched.

"Shower first."

"And then?"

"And then you shower. You still smell like sweat."

"I was training."

"I know."

xxxxx

TenTen was blinded when she stepped out. Five days in a (usually) dark room had really boosted her sensitivity.

"It's awfully nice of the weather to be sunny today. It'd be awful if the one day I step out was overcast."

"The day is bright because everyone is happy! The world is new and the blood is washed away!"

The people who were awake and about at 7 rolled their eyes and smiled. Lee was nothing new to them.

"That would work better if it had rained after the war."

"Didn't it?"

"I don't think so."

"Oh."

She patted him on the back.

"Good job with the symbolism though. Really. I liked it."

Lee grinned and shot her a thumbs up.

"Thank you, TenTen! Your praise is appreciated!"

She grinned and gently pushed his outstretched hand back down to his side.

"Yeah, you're welcome. Now what're we doing out here?"

"I was thinking that we could go and visit our friends. They have been worried, and will be relieved to see you are alright."

She sighed and stretched. It was a nice morning. The air tasted fresh, and the sun warmed her pleasantly.

"Alright," she said, "we might as well. We should wait a bit though. I don't know how many will be awake right now. I _know_ Naruto isn't."

"Hinata is."

TenTen froze. Somehow, she'd forgotten all about Hinata.

"How is she?"

Lee took her hand and began to walk.

"Oh, she is doing very well. She has really taken control of her life, and has been asking after you. I believe she will be ecstatic to see you up and about, TenTen."

"Is that right?"

TenTen was relieved to hear it, but she felt strangely confused. She'd thought Hinata would be taking Neji's death much harder than her.

"Yes, it is! Now come, let us pay her a visit!"

xxxxx

It had been a strange walk through the Hyuuga compound. After the guards had respectfully stepped aside for them, they had entered to find the normally austere and traditional place bustling with activity.

Lee said, "A lot of repairs and maintenance got sidelined when the war happened. Now that it is over, everyone is pitching in."

"No kidding," TenTen murmured, watching the construction efforts with awed disbelief.

It wasn't just the branch house with the tools, but many main house members were carrying paint and equipment of their own. She saw two members of separate houses holding an animated conversation while weeding a garden. She saw a branch house member climb a ladder to hand a man from the main house a stack of shingles, and she saw the sweaty man accept them with thanks before repairing storm damage on the roof.

TenTen also saw that she and Lee were getting looks as they passed. People perked up as they walked by; some even stopped and waved at them before returning to work with a faint smile. TenTen waved back, and looked to Lee for help.

"I said they had been worried about you. Everyone missed Neji, so it makes them happy when they see that his team is doing well."

"Oh."

That wasn't something she had expected, and she felt guilty about it. Because they normally acted so aloof, it was easy to forget that the Hyuuga were human. It was far too simple to picture them as two-dimensional. People who did so annoyed her greatly, and she was ashamed to admit that she had done it herself.

"Hello Hinata!"

"Huh?"

TenTen focused in front of her to see Hinata, sweaty and dirty. Next to her were her sister and her father, apparently planting flowers. She couldn't stop herself from asking a dumb question.

"What're you doing?"

Hinata smiled and wiped her forehead.

"Hello TenTen, it is good to see you about."

The heiress had been polite enough not to tease the poor girl for her brain fart. Surprisingly, it was her father who did so instead.

"We're planting flowers. Why, does it look strange?"

Hinata turned red and spun around.

"F-father!"

"Yes, yes. Sorry."

He stood and wiped his hands on his once white robes. Hanabi stayed happily in the dirt, placing everything just so.

"Our family had already taken other jobs and insisted they needed no help. We decided that this would be a nice place for a circle of flowers, so we got started."

Hanabi piped up from the upturned soil.

"Also, the only other work was inside at a desk."

"Yes, it was."

Hiashi managed to keep his expression serious and dignified. TenTen suspected this was because of some secret Hyuuga training like, watching a really funny comedian and taking a crotch shot the instant you smiled.

Lee moved past Hinata to crouch next to Hanabi.

"I notice that you have left a hole in the center." he said.

"Are you thinking of making a pool?"

The younger girl nodded.

"We can lay down tiles later." she said.

"Dark blue and white would be nice." said Hinata.

The affected casualness of her tone made it seem like something she had said before, and was saying again not for the benefit of the guests. Hanabi's reaction lent some credence to this when she rolled her eyes and said, exasperated: "Dark blue would stand out too much. It needs to be something like light blue or lavender."

Hinata dropped all pretenses of this being their first argument on the subject.

"And _I_ told you those don't stand out enough! It needs contrast!"

Hanabi had risen by this point and stood hands on hips and legs akimbo, seemingly ignorant to the dirt tumbling off her grass-and-soil-stained clothes.

"The tiles must be muted to bring out the vibrant color of the flowers! _There's_ your contrast!"

The two sisters were getting in each other's faces by now. In front of them, Hiashi stood quietly. This was a new thing that he didn't know how to deal with. TenTen smirked. Apparently, nobody was used to Hinata talking back. To be honest, she wasn't either, but that didn't make the situation any less humorous.

"But if the tiles are muted, then they will be looked over! They must be bold to be recognized as more than a simple setting!"

"But that is what they are supposed to be! The pool and the tiles are not meant to stand out! They are supposed to be a peaceful center in all of the chaos! It's _symbolic!"_

Lee had stood up by now and walked back over to TenTen, brushing off his knees.

"Quite the little artist, isn't she?" she asked him, smiling lightly.

He laughed boisterously, breaking the girls out of their argument and calling the attention of everyone around.

"Indeed! She could be a very talented landscaper!"

Hanabi glowed with smug pride and Hinata huffed. Next to Lee, TenTen sighed deeply.

Everyone present felt they needed to break the silence, but didn't know how. Finally, Hinata spoke up.

"So…uh…TenTen…"

"Yeah?"

"Um…it's good to see you up and about."

"Thanks."

She knew she wasn't being helpful, but she felt awkward and didn't know what else to say.

"We're here if you need to talk to someone." Said Hiashi, surprising TenTen and making Hinata smile.

"We know you two were close."

"Thank you, I…I really appreciate it."

TenTen cursed herself for letting her voice crack. The family was friendly, but she felt like a stranger here. She wanted to leave. This was all too real; her emotions were still too raw.

Hinata stepped forward. She opened her mouth to speak, then shut it and flushed red. She wavered indecisively, then stepped forward and hugged TenTen.

"I'm sorry." she whispered, and her grip tightened. Weakly, TenTen patted the younger girl's back.

"You didn't do anything wrong." she managed to say.

"No, it isn't that."

"It's not?"

Hinata shook her head.

"I know what Neji was to you. I-if you want to talk about that, we can."

TenTen stopped patting the girl's back.

"Huh?"

She could feel Hinata's skin heat up against her neck as the girl flushed.

"U-um, I mean, it isn't completely the same, b-but…uh…well, I know what it's like, not getting what you w-wanted…"

Wait a minute…

TenTen held Hinata at arm's length. The other girl ducked her head and seemed to shrink.

"Did something happen to Naruto?"

She shrunk even more.

"Um, n-no, he's fine."

"He's not dead?"  
"N-no…"

TenTen thought.

"Did he say no?"

She could feel the heat through Hinata's jacket.

"…yes."

For some reason that was what did it. The dramatic reaction would have been to get offended, and a part of TenTen could totally see why. Still, all she wanted to do was comfort this girl. She pulled the heiress back in.

"Oh, Hinata, I'm sorry." she murmured.

Hinata had obviously been expecting some sort of angry explosion. She had initially stiffened, but she relaxed as soon as it became obvious that TenTen was hugging her and not killing her.

"I-I know they aren't even remotely alike, but—"

"You don't need to explain. We can talk later, okay?"

"O-okay."

Releasing each other, the girls stepped away. Hinata looked like she was about to start crying.

"Thank you."

TenTen smiled at her, finding it funny that she, who had spent five days drowning in grief, had just been the one comforting Hinata, who was coping by being proactive.

It was very strange.

xxxxx

It was around noon when they finally left the Hyuuga compound, and TenTen was feeling better already. The sun was still out, and Lee was happily walking next to her as they left the clan district and entered the main market.

She leaned over and bumped him with her shoulder, taking care not to knock him into any of the people milling around them.

"So," she said over the thrumming masses, "where to next?"

"Where to? Oh…"

"Naruto maybe? I never got around to congratulate him on not dying."

Lee scowled reproachfully.

"That's very morbid, TenTen."

She rolled her eyes.

"That's our job, Lee."

"Well, about that…"

"What?"

Lee looked oddly thoughtful.

"Now that this whole war is over…Will that still be our job?"

TenTen hated to repeat herself, but…

"What?"

"Well we fought for lasting peace. And we won. Our jobs revolve around war and violence, so…"

TenTen shook her head.

"It's peace, Lee, but it's not _lasting _peace. Sooner or later, someone's gonna come stir up trouble."

Lee looked crestfallen.

"I guess so." he mumbled, and TenTen felt bad. It was honestly a great thing to hope for. She watched some kids run by behind him, and remembered something.

Konoha was pleasant to live in, especially when compared to the other villages. But even here, civilians tended to be antsy around trained killers with strange powers. But over the past few years, they'd been becoming more comfortable. When she was a kid, she never would've been running around a Jounin like Lee. Something had actually changed. Standing there in the midst of the sun-covered crowd, TenTen began to doubt her cynicism.

She reached over and patted Lee's shoulder, and smiled when he met her eyes.

"Hey, it probably won't happen for a while." she said. "Even then, now that we've actually achieved peace instead of some sort'a stalemate, maybe people will work harder to keep it, huh?"

Lee perked up, and began grinning again.

"Perhaps they will! Now that it is not some abstract concept, but something that has _actually been accomplished_, then a dream of peace will not be considered such a foolish dream!"

"Who says it was foolish to begin with?"

TenTen and Lee turned to see Sakura, one hand on her hip, the other wrapped around a bag of groceries.

"Oh, I was not calling it foolish, Sakura! I was just saying that there are some who called it such that will not now! Surely you remember people who did this. You were Naruto's teammate, after all."

She smiled, and it was a mixture of fondness and ruefulness. People flowed around them, respecting the veterans who had fought for this day.

"There were some," she said, "but they usually changed their tune pretty quick. I don't think anyone mocked him about it more than once or twice."

Lee paled dramatically.

"S-sakura, you did not beat them up, did you?"

The medic flushed.

"Of course not! God, why does everyone always assume I'm violent?"

"W-well, you do have a bit of a reputa—"

TenTen did Lee a favor and covered his mouth for him. Sakura just sighed.

"Honestly, I had nothing to do with it. Just a bit of exposure to Naruto's idiot charisma and they were singing his tune in no time."

She put her free hand on her cheek like some worried mother.

"Oh dear, I just made him sound like some evil genius, didn't I?"

TenTen grinned. She hadn't gotten much time to hang out with the girl after she stopped swooning over Sasuke, so she hadn't seen Sakura being sassy before.

"Don't worry," TenTen said, "nobody who met him would believe that for a second."

The hand went back to the hip.

"That was a crack about his intelligence wasn't it?"

"Maybe."

Sakura shot her a half-hearted stink-eye.

"I can't really fault you on the "evil" part of that, but there are times when I wondered if he was just playing us all. As strange as it is to say, if he revealed himself as a mastermind, I would probably be the least surprised."

"Well, you're the one on a team with him. You ever come across any entrances to his secret lair?"

Sakura rolled her eyes.

"If there is one, it's probably hidden under all the dirty clothes and empty ramen cups. Honestly, that's why I'm out getting groceries."

"Is it because Naruto has run out of food in his secret lair?"

"No, Lee, it's because he ran out of food in his house, and if I left it up to him, he'd just get more ramen."

For TenTen, who'd been out of the loop since the funeral, things suddenly _clicked_.

"Wait, are you _living_ with him?"  
Sakura's mouth hung open.

"W-well it's not exactly a _secret!"_

"Sorry. I haven't been paying attention lately."

The younger girl let a long breath go.

"Yes, I am living with him. I know we only got together pretty recently, but having known the guy since he was twelve, I'd say we get a pass for moving a little quickly."

"Oh."

TenTen was suddenly, crushingly aware that they were in public. Still, she couldn't hold the curiosity back.

"So…have you two…uh…"

Sakura stiffened as everyone around them surreptitiously leaned in.

"_This_ is not a conversation to have in public." she hissed out between clenched teeth.

Lee popped up like a Jack-in-the-Box, and reached for the bag of groceries.

"We were just coming to visit you two. Allow me to assist you, Sakura."

Sakura lifted the brown paper bag away from him.

"Lee," she said, "I punched the shit out of a goddess. I can get my own damn groceries."

"But…"

TenTen rested a hand on his shoulder.

"Relax, Lee. It's sweet how you're trying to be gallant, but she's taken. Rein in the charm, okay?"

He was momentarily stunned, but Lee quickly recovered, popping into his favored "Nice Guy" pose.

"Of course, TenTen."

He then turned to Sakura, who had yet to let her groceries back within grabbing distance.

"Please forgive me for my forwardness, Sakura, but I have trouble restraining myself around one so beautiful."

TenTen popped him on the head.

"The _charm,_ Lee."

"Sorry!"

Sakura smiled and shook her head, then led them off to Naruto, with the crowd closing behind them.

xxxxx

Naruto answered his door in boxers, and greeted his mortified girlfriend with a kiss on the cheek.

"Hey. What'd ya get?"

The oblivious boy then noticed her company, and greeted them with a wave. Lee cheerfully returned it (he and Gai go around in spandex. It is highly doubtful that he gives a shit about male nudity).

"Hey guys. How's it hangin'?"

TenTen covered her eyes so that she wouldn't look down.

"Wrong choice of words there." she muttered.

Sakura shoved him inside and slammed the door after him.

"Put some pants on!"

"They don't mind."

"Well _I_ do!"

They heard cans rattle and paper crinkle as the groceries were set down.

"Are you embarrassed for me?"

"…Seriously? Now is the time you choose to start picking up on social cues? _Yes!_ I am embarrassed for you!"

"That…that makes me so happy! C'mere."

"Nope."

"Awww, but Sakuraaa~"

"Don't you start. Pants and guests first, cuddles later."

"Fine, fine. But as soon as they leave…"

"Well, duh! Are you kidding me? I like cuddles too, you know. Now go get dressed."

After a few more seconds of movement, Sakura opened the door again.

"Sorry about that. Come in!"

"Uh…thanks." TenTen said, and stepped in. Sakura closed the door behind Lee and sat on Naruto's ratty-ass couch.

"He'll only be a moment."

TenTen listened to the sounds of muffled swearing and flying clothes.

"I'm sure." she said.

With a cry of victory, the noises from the bedroom stopped. A fully-clothed Naruto emerged.

"Hey guys!" he said, then threw himself sideways over the couch arm, landing with his head in Sakura's lap.

At least, that's what TenTen guessed was supposed to happen. Instead, he just smacked his head into her thigh when his landing bounced her up.

"Oops."

"Careful!"

"Hello, Naruto! How are you?"

As his red-faced girlfriend laid her hand on his head, Naruto grinned widely.

"Pretty good, Lee. Oh, hey TenTen! You feelin' better?"

TenTen had somehow managed to forget what conversations with Naruto were like.

"Yes."

Naruto tried nodding, but pretty much just rubbed his head in Sakura's lap.

"That's good. We missed you."

"Um…th…thanks?"

She didn't really know how to respond to that one.

"I'm sorry about Neji."

"It wasn't your fault."

These polite responses were killing her. They were talking about something tragic and meaningful! How could she not scrape up anything more heartfelt than these cookie-cutter answers?

"I hear you, but I still feel like it was. Obito was saying I couldn't protect everybody, but I should've been able to at least protect him."

"Naruto_ can think of shit like that, but I can't even come up with a response?"_ TenTen cursed her language for not having enough words.

"You're still gonna say it's not my fault, and I get that. It isn't. But still, I really wanna say…I'm sorry."

Her throat felt tight and her eyes felt hot. She was fighting down tears because of fucking _Naruto_. The kid was the class idiot and a year her junior, yet he was still so damn eloquent. Maybe it was all a part of being such a big damn hero, but right now all she wanted was to leave.

"Neji was a good friend to me. We didn't start off great, but…I dunno. I wish he was alive."

TenTen was trembling.

"You wish he was alive? _I _wished I was _dead!"_

The tears were flowing freely now. All the emotions she'd been bottling up were boiling over, and though she knew she shouldn't be blowing up at him, she couldn't do anything to stop it.

"How do you do it? How do you speak so easily? _God_ it's like you're giving a fucking _eulogy_ or something! What were you doing for the last five days? Rehearsing that in front of a mirror? He was a _"good friend"_ to you, but he was _my love_ to me! How about it? Could you speak so freely if _Sakura_ was dead? Well, you _fucker?!"_

Her voice broke and her words ran out. She stood there sobbing, unable to speak and wanting nothing more than to be gone. Her skin felt flushed with shame and anger. Where the tears ran, she felt numb. With her eyes squeezed shut, she was alone in a world of red and black, all mixed together.

Outside of her isolation, she felt arms go around her and a body press in close. No smells could make it through her running nose, but she knew it was Lee. She tried pushing him away, but he just held tighter. Giving up, she accepted the hug and squeezed him back. As the sobs lessened, she heard Naruto respond.

"I don't know what I'd do if Sakura died."

She opened her eyes and looked at the couch. Lee's neck was obscuring Sakura, but she could see Naruto was sitting up now and looking right at her.

"I've never been in that place. I don't blame you for getting mad though, because I remembered how I reacted when Jiraiya died, and I cracked too."

She sniffed and clung to Lee like a lifeline. She was embarrassed now. She didn't know these two as well as her teammates had, and breaking down like that in front of them…she wished she had a do-over.

"Do you need to sit down?" asked Sakura.

"I—I'm good." she managed to choke out, still holding Lee tight. She didn't feel comfortable leaving this spot, and Lee was familiar and comforting.

"Okay."

"I just wanna stand here for a while" she said, annoyed at how shaky her voice was.

"You can." Sakura said.

TenTen nodded, feeling like a child. Lee stayed where he was, happily offering whatever support he could to his grieving teammate.

xxxxx

"I'm sorry."

TenTen was sitting down on the couch with Naruto and Sakura on either side of her. In the kitchen, Lee was assembling more sandwiches. Sakura had placed her hand on TenTen's knee a while back, and she didn't remember when Naruto had started rubbing circles on her back.

Neither of them responded, so she just said it again.

"I'm sorry."

Naruto's hand stopped rubbing circles and patted her back. On her left, Sakura squeezed her knee.

"It's alright." Sakura said.

"Yeah," said Naruto, "it's fine. We're not mad at you."

TenTen shook her head. She didn't think she should be forgiven so easily.

"No, you invited me in, you were nothing but polite and understanding, and I just blew up at you. I'm so sorry."

Naruto sighed.

"I don't think she believes us." said Sakura.

"Me neither." said Naruto.

"Okay, how about this?"

Raising the hand not currently on her back, Naruto spoke.

"I promise that what I'm gonna tell you is totally honest, and not just somethin' I'm saying to make you feel better."

He grinned triumphantly.

"There, now you've _gotta_ believe me!"

"I…okay." TenTen had briefly thought of protesting, but remembered that Naruto was nothing if not stubborn.

"Good." he said. "Now then…TenTen, neither of us are mad at you for what you did. Believe me, everyone knows what it's like to lose a loved one…except for Sakura."

"Bite me."

"Later. Anyway!" He just launched back into it like that had never happened.

"Just talk to anyone who's got our job, and they can totally sympathize. Hell, Kurenai's gone through this exact thing, and she's a girl too!"

"Irrelevant."

"Right. So anyway, we get it. Nobody's mad, and if you don't want to be alone, you can stay here for as long as you need. Kay?"

"Oh, that won't be necessary." TenTen started.

"No it will not. I have made your sandwiches!" Lee said, placing three perfectly proportioned Peanut Butter and Banana sandwiches down in front of the couch.

"Also, I will stay with her for as long as she needs."

Naruto grinned widely.

"Of course you will!"

Lee nodded proudly. Then, he fixed a very intense stare on TenTen.

"TenTen, I did not know you had wished yourself dead."

_"Oh hell. I said that, didn't I?"_

"Is that still true?"

TenTen didn't want to speak. She didn't want them freaking out over her, but anything she said that wasn't "yes" would just sound disingenuous and make them worry even more. She had to say something though.

"TenTen?"

"For a little bit, yes. I didn't really see much point to hanging around. I was never really all that big a part of this group. I'm pretty sure some of you don't know my last name. The only plans I had left were opening up a weapon shop or something, and without Neji to help me run it, that just sounded like the loneliest, bleakest thing I could do with my life. I spent three days like that, thinking it over. After the third, I had a moment where I was seriously considering doing it."

"Why didn't you?"

Here she smiled. It was a jagged little thing, like broken glass.

"Lee knocked a hole in my door."

"I am sorry for that, TenTen!"

"Don't be. You reminded me that there was someone who would miss me. I had a moment of weakness, and you did a pretty good job of distracting me long enough for it to pass."

Naruto and Lee still looked worried.

"Are you still…"

"Probably not." Sakura cut in.

Naruto turned to her.

"What do you know?"

She smiled at his faith in her knowledge.

"Well, something I learned from having a friend who's dad was essentially a ninja psychologist was that in most cases of suicide, it was just what TenTen called it: a moment of weakness. You stop someone from killing themselves, and most of the time that's all they needed to reconsider. It's good data too. Believe me, in a profession like ours, Inoichi had to deal with a _lot_ of suicide attempts."

The boys seemed to relax, and TenTen smiled tearfully at the other girl for calming them down. Both were the absolute worst at dealing with stuff like this, as they were a terrible mixture of relentless and clueless.

"Still," the girl continued, now addressing her, "I would recommend talking to Kurenai. I know you've got Lee, but having someone else who knows _exactly_ what you've been through is invaluable for making you feel less alone. Kakashi's also the go-to guy if you need to talk about survivor's guilt."

TenTen stared at her blankly, then started laughing.

"Somehow, I forgot you were a medic."

Sakura flushed.

"Now what's _that_ supposed to mean?"

TenTen held out her hands to ward off the other girl.

"Nothing, nothing. It's just with the way you were listing off recommendations like that, I was about to say "what are you, a doctor?" And then I realized, yes! Yes you are!"

She kept laughing in the manner of a person who has just finished crying. Sakura was still red, but now it seemed born of shyness than rage.

"W-well, I'm not a _doctor_. More like a nurse."

"I'll bet Naruto likes that!" TenTen crowed, still laughing. There was something about heavy conversations and lots of tears that resulted in people completely losing their filters. Sakura had hidden her face in Naruto's shoulder. Lee's face was white, and Naruto was looking pensive. Bearing that strange sixth sense about their partners that most people have after spending many years with someone, Sakura reached up and bopped him on the head.

"None of that!"

"Aww, but Sakuraaaa~"

"NO! We aren't messing up my uniform for that!"

Naruto looked thoughtful again.

"What if we got you a different uniform?"

"…maybe."

At that, Lee rose and quickly turned to face the door, probably crying manly tears of pride and envy.

"Well, we shall be leaving! It was an excellent visit! Thank-you-for-your-hospitality-goodbye!"

Picking up the still laughing TenTen and her untouched sandwich, he sped out the door, stopped and bowed once, then sped off.

Alone in the apartment, Naruto turned to a stunned Sakura and said:

"She has good ideas."

She punched him lightly in the shoulder.

"Dumb ass!"

xxxxx

Feeling tapped out, Lee and TenTen returned home. She had stopped laughing a while ago, and was just finishing up her sandwich as they entered the apartment.

"Are we not going to talk to Kurenai?"

She shook her head.

"Not today. I'm still feeling a bit drained emotionally just from that visit with Naruto."

Walking over and plopping down on her couch, she stretched out, delighting in the little popping noises her spine made. Lee came over and sat next to her, letting the door close behind him.

"Alright then." he said upon reaching her, "what shall we do for the rest of the day?"

TenTen flopped over sideways.

"I'm in the mood to just lie around, y'know? Letting it all out felt good, but I need some down time before we can keep making all that progress again."

Lee nodded and sat on the only cushion she wasn't covering.

"I understand." he said. "Would you like me to stay?"

She hummed lightly, as if thinking it over.

"Fine." she said, "but no more sandwiches. Not for a while, at least."

"No sandwiches?" Lee asked, appalled, "Did I not make them well enough?"

TenTen started laughing.

"What?"

"Lee," she said, "I don't hate your sandwiches."

"You don't?"

"No, but they're all I've had to eat for the last three days. I need more than that!"

"Oh. That is good then."

"Yes, it is."

There was a brief pause, during which TenTen felt briefly guilty for holding such a normal conversation just five days after Neji died. She forced it away and broke the silence.

"So…what else do you know how to make?"

Lee stood quietly in front of the couch. He shifted his weight from foot to foot and never quite met TenTen's eyes.

"I suppose I could try a new recipe…"

"You suppose?"

Ignoring her, Lee walked briskly to the "kitchen," which came with air quotes included as it was really just a counter, a stove, a sink, and a fridge.

TenTen sat up and watched Lee go through the cabinets that stood in for her pantry.

"Where do you keep your cookbook?"

"I don't have one."

Lee straightened up and wiped his palms on his suit's legs.

"How do you cook?"

TenTen unconsciously shrugged, before realizing that Lee wasn't looking at her.

"I picked up some stuff that I know by heart. Aside from that, most of that stuff is pre-packaged shit that can be made stovetop."

Another cabinet opened.

"Why do you have spices then?"

"Some of the instant food is pretty bland."

Glass clinked and plastic knocked together as Lee sorted through the spice cabinet.

"This is a very large collection for simple seasoning."

"I also pick different types up from wherever we go on a mission, if I get the chance."

"Oh."

"Yeah. Hey, where are you going?"

Lee was walking over to the door. Opening it, he looked back at her.

"I will be right back, TenTen. There is something I must get."

xxxxx

Lee returned a half-hour later with a plastic bag. Pulling out a cookbook, he walked over and placed it on the "kitchen" counter.

"Now I may begin." he said, and made a show of cracking his knuckles.

TenTen slid off of the couch and stumbled over to him. She had been napping, but every good (and living) ninja sleeps lightly.

"Izzat yours?" she mumbled, finding her mouth gummed by sleep.

"It is now." answered Lee. He flipped through the pages and stopped on ravioli and marinara.

"It is a book with recipes from many different areas. I thought that it would make the best use of your spice collection."

TenTen wandered over to the sink and ran some water through her mouth to unstick her tongue. When his words finally reached her brain, she spat out the tap water and shut off the sink.

"Wait, did you just buy that?"

"Yes, I did."

"I thought you got it from home!"  
"I did not."

"Then how do _you_ cook?"

"I make smoothies."

"…seriously?"

"They are very rich in protein. I also make sandwiches."

"So you don't actually know any of these recipes?"

Lee pulled from the bag an orange apron that she strongly suspected had been borrowed from Naruto's house, and tied it around his waist.

"I intend to learn," he said, "for cooking lessons await if I cannot."

TenTen could do one of two things. She could freak out about how he was going to kill her stomach, or she could help. She chose the second option. Lee made good sandwiches. Maybe he could make good ravioli too.

"Okay. What do we need?"

"Tomato sauce…"

"I don't have that."

"Tomato puree…"

"Don't have that either."

"Flour…"

"Fresh out."

"Salt…"

"Duh."

"Cheese."

"What kind?"

"Parmesan, Feta…"

"What and _what?"_

"Butter…"

"I don't think I have that."

"Eggs…"

"How many?"

"Three."

"Nope."

"Olive oil…"

"Never heard of it."

"Garlic…"

"Maybe. Lemme check."

Some clinking, then: "Yup."

"Good."

"Anything else?"

Lee scanned the list.

"No. There are no substitutes. I must return to the grocery."

"I'll come with you."

xxxxx

They had to go to the ethnic aisle to find most of their ingredients. Apparently, nobody stuck tomatoes into blenders around here, or if they did, they certainly didn't can the result. One hour later, the two walked back into TenTen's apartment and set their bags down on the "kitchen" counter.

"Okay," said TenTen, "Let's get started. I'm hungry."

Lee examined the cookbook page.

"This takes a couple of hours to make. More if you do not have an electric mixer."

Both of them turned to stare forlornly at the countertop which held nothing but bags.

"Shit."

"Off we go."

xxxxx

One electric mixer later, and they were ready to start.

"Okay, the ravioli and the marinara are two separate recipes. You do one, I do the other."

"Sure."

After looking at the recipes, they looked at each other.

"You do not have any cutting boards or cooking sheets, do you?"

"Yeah. They're with the pots."

Lee looked cheerful.

"Oh good! Where would that be?"

TenTen sighed.

"At the damn store."

Lee looked like a kicked puppy.

"That was cruel, TenTen."

"Sorry."

xxxxx

Fully equipped, they finally got started. TenTen was really loving making the marinara. It was fun, being able to actually use her spice collection. The recipe didn't really call for many herbs or spices though, and that made her feel disappointed. Still, the best way to find out about a spice was to taste it, right? Picking a spice at random, TenTen improvised.

xxxxx

Things were going pretty smoothly on Lee's side of the kitchen. The electric mixer was working nicely, and the mixture was looking good now that he'd figured out what a dough hook was. Still, he couldn't help but feel it looked a bit…plain. The off-white dough was boring to look at. It lacked flair.

Glancing back at TenTen, Lee's eyes landed on the open spice cabinet.

_"Things like herbs and spices are used to add flair to an otherwise boring dish, are they not?" _he reasoned, already reaching over,_ "And the best way to learn about these is to taste them…"_

xxxxx

"TenTen, what is a pasta maker? Do you have one?"

"Fuuuuuuuck!"

xxxxx

Some cookbooks come with a prediction of how long a recipe is going to take. Usually this is figured out through the addition of all of the various estimated prep times, with a few minutes added to accommodate for bad cooks. Though they weren't bad at cooking, whomever had guessed the time for this recipe had failed to account for the sheer ignorance of Lee and TenTen.

One hour after the recipes predicted end time, the two were ready to eat. Sitting down at TenTen's sorry excuse for a table with loaded plates, Lee eyed the sauce. The texture was good, and it seemed well made, but…

"Did the picture have so many green flecks in it?"

TenTen poked the ravioli. Though not perfectly shaped, it still looked like it should. Except…

"I don't think the stuff in the picture looked this red."

They looked at each other and said near simultaneously, "It's probably fine."

The two friends took their first bite and hoped for the best.

Lee swallowed and calmly set down his fork, closely followed by TenTen.

"I think I ruined it."

"What did you put in?" she asked.

"Paprika. You?"

"Dill Leaves."

"Can you finish it?"

Eying her plate apprehensively, TenTen grunted.

"I'm not sure. Can you?"

Lee shuddered.

"I can try." he said.

She sighed and picked up her fork.

"You'd better. I'm too hungry to make anything else, and I'll be damned if we waste this after all the work we put into making it."

Lee joined her, and forced himself to smile.

"Well, experiences like this are said to be excellent for bonding."

"Lee, we've known each other for years. We don't need any more bonding experiences. Enough stalling. Dig in, and let's get this over with."

xxxxx

"Well, I learned a lot of things today." said Lee, weakly. His emptied plate sat in front of him as he slouched back in his chair, fork held loosely in slack fingers.

"Like what?" asked TenTen, who was in no better condition.

"Well, I learned that Hanabi was skilled in exterior design."

"That was surprising."

"Yes."

"I also learned that it was possible to get tired of sandwiches."

"Sorry."

"You do not need to apologize. It was my mistake."

"Well, _I _learned a lot more about Naruto and Sakura."

"Such as?"

"Well for one thing, I learned they're dating."

"Yes, that was quite a shock to me as well."

TenTen leaned forward and rested her chin on the table.

"Was it? Was it really?"

Lee sighed and joined her, head braced on crossed arms.

"Not as much as I would have hoped."

TenTen patted him on the head.

"It's okay. You'll meet someone."

"Are you sure?"

"I dunno. At the very least, you'll get a mini you as a student. You know, do what Gai did? Reproduce by budding?"

Lee groaned and squeezed his eyes shut.

"Highly unyouthful, TenTen."

"Sorry _bud_."

"Please stop."

"Fine."

Lee pushed himself back up to a sitting position.

"Well," he said, "at the very least, I believe there is something important that we both learned."

"Don't mess with spices you don't know?"

"Yes."

"That sounds reasonable."

xxxxx

"Where are you going?"

Lee stopped in front of the door. He turned around to see TenTen changed into pajamas and looking at him expectantly.

"I was going back to my house." he said. "Is that not alright?"

TenTen shook her head, feeling embarrassed.

"Sorry. That was really clingy and weird. You don't have to stay, I just thought…"

She trailed off, unable to comprehend just _what_ she had thought. Lee turned away from the door and sat down next to her on her bed.

"What did you think?" he asked, meeting her eyes, unblinking.

TenTen turned away.

"Forget it. I don't know what I was thinking."

Lee forced his brain to come up with solutions to her problems, but found that too big a task. Thoughts failed to flow freely, so he instead did what he had been trained to do, and relied on his team.

"Would it help if I told you what I was thinking?" he asked. TenTen did not look back at him, and she did not speak. She just motioned for him to continue.

"What _I_ thought," he said, "was that you were tired of me. We spent an entire day together, and I assumed that you would like privacy."

"I…I don't want to sound _crazy_ or _needy_…I know this sounds like a psychological red flag, but…I don't feel ready to be left alone."

She hated herself like this. She was acting weak and fragile and _dependent. _It was nothing like how she usually was, and though Lee would never judge her, she still judged herself.

"I know, I know. I said I wanted to be left alone earlier, but I spent the day with you, and I realized how much I missed…I don't know! _You, him…us."_

Sick of feeling like a wuss, she forced herself to turn and meet Lee's attentive gaze.

"I don't want to be left alone yet, you know?"

Lee nodded.

"I understand. I'll go get changed."

That took her aback.

"Into what?"  
Standing up, Lee began walking to the bathroom.

"My pajamas." he said. "I do not sleep in this outfit, TenTen."

"Oh." she managed. "Okay."

xxxxx

Lee walked back in in boxers, and TenTen rolled her eyes.

"Seriously, Lee? Puppies?"

Lee crossed his arms.

"There is no reason to be ashamed of puppy boxers, TenTen."

She snorted and rolled her eyes.

"Dork."

Lee grinned, then took a running leap onto her bed. TenTen found herself launched upwards with a shriek and giggle as he impacted.

"Aah! Lee, what the hell?!"

"What?"

Suppressing giggles, she pointed to the couch.

"If you're wearing boxers, you sleep on the couch. I know what happens to guys in the morning, and I'm _not_ sharing a bed with _that_, thank you very much."

Lee flopped on his back, and TenTen did her best to ignore just how thin those boxers were.

"Awwwww, the _couch?"_

_"YES."_

xxxxx

"TenTen, must I sleep here? This is not comfortable."

"Don't care. I'm not getting poked awake."

"…not at all youthful."

"Goodnight, Lee."

He sighed and shifted around.

"Goodnight, TenTen." he grumbled.

xxxxx

TenTen relented ten minutes later. The bed was a good bit more cramped with him in it, but sleeping back-to-back with him comforted her greatly.

**AN: Took a while, didn't it? I was going to write this chapter last, but I couldn't get started on Team Eight's chapter as I had already given Hinata resolution in chapter one, and we don't really know enough about Shino and Kiba to give them satisfactory endings. I don't think Kishimoto knew what to do with them either, and I understand. Team Eight were never really major parts of the plot after Act 1, so we never got the depth needed to make anything really satisfying happen. That's why Shino's dream is finding new bugs, and Kiba is hanging out with the cat girl that we only saw once for some obscure shit. I will likely take a bit to finish their chapter, as the school year is winding up for me, but I will be finishing this story.**


	4. Team Eight

**Team Eight**

Hinata exhaled loudly as she leaned back in her chair, away from the papers on her father's desk. Her family had made good progress on the repairs and maintenance that the war had sidelined, but one day of work wouldn't be sufficient for some of these problems. That was why one of the sheets in front of her was a list of remaining tasks. Most of the others were bills, receipts, and a register of the compound's inventory. Though they had owned a good portion of the materials they used yesterday, some had to be purchased. She had to go over what they had left in the storerooms, what they had spent, and how much their earnings from the various Hyuuga-owned businesses would cover. Usually missions were a big part of the compound's income, but with the new peace, assignments greater than escort missions were becoming rare, even after only six days. Therefore, a greater focus was now being placed on commercial assets. Some were complaining about how it felt like they were taking a step down, but Hinata had figured that a noble clan going broke would be a lot more disgraceful.

_"Speaking of going broke…"_

Hinata fanned out the receipts in front of her so she could see them all at once. There were a lot. The clan wasn't in trouble, but she still jotted down a note for her father that a bit more frugality with funds would be advisable. Setting that in his inbox, Hinata returned to her budgeting. She had been working on a column of income to expenses, and it looked like she was just about done. Whistling cheerfully, (or trying to. She had never been great at whistling), Hinata started stacking the receipts back up. As she did so, a memo slipped out of the stack enough for her to notice that it did not look familiar. Drawing it out completely, she saw that it was a list from her father numbering the shops they went to on their supply run.

"Oh no." Hinata muttered, and quickly counted the receipts. She was missing one. Close to panic, she began searching through all of the papers, hoping it had simply been misplaced.

Inventory was a bust, as she had expected. Honestly, she would like to think that she would have noticed a stray receipt in that small stack, mismatched as it would be.

With dread, the young woman turned to the pile of income reports. She didn't think it was likely (or at least, she hoped it wasn't), but if the receipt had wound up in there, what if she'd counted it as income? Then she'd have to do the entire budget again! Actually, even if she hadn't made that mistake, she knew that she'd wind up doing it anyway to be sure.

She had just started sorting through when someone knocked on the doorframe (knocking on paper doors is a terrible plan that is both damaging and ineffective). Schooling her expression to hide the panic she still felt, Hinata straightened the income pile.

"Come in." she called, and Ino slid the door open.

"I've got a receipt for…" she began, trailing off as she saw who was behind the desk.

"Hey Hinata! Where's your dad?" she asked. Hinata sighed and slumped in her seat, no longer caring about how professional she looked.

"He left me in charge." Hinata said. "He called it "training for when I'm running the clan," and then left."

Ino laughed.

"Skipping out of work, huh?" she said. "Sucks that he foisted it on you."

Ino walked into the room and plopped down in the chair on the other side of the desk, which she then loudly scooted closer. Leaning in, the other girl tried to read the papers upside down.

"What'cha doin'?" she asked, apparently giving up.

"I'm doing an expense report for the Hyuuga clan." Hinata said.

Ino looked incredulous.

"An expense report?" she asked, and Hinata shrunk a little.

"Or, at least, I think that's what it's called…" she mumbled, and Ino shrugged.

"Yeah, I wouldn't know. Daddy never had me do that stuff. I'm just surprised that yours does." absently scratching an itch on her stomach, Ino rolled her eyes.

"Although," she continued, "I don't know why I would be."

Hinata straightened up and crossed her arms.

"That's not fair, Ino." she said, and Ino looked surprised.

"What do you mean? What isn't fair?" she asked, completely caught off guard.

"What isn't fair," Hinata said, fighting years of bad habits and crippling shyness to try and keep her voice strong, "is that you're still judging father for his behavior after the death of his wife. He hasn't acted like that in years."

Then, because she felt like she had been too harsh and needed to be polite, Hinata ended her reprimand with: "Please forgive my rudeness."

"It's alright." mumbled Ino, who was caught off guard by Hinata's behavior.

Feeling embarrassed, Hinata hid her face behind some papers, pretending to straighten the stack so it looked more natural.

"So," she said, "you mentioned a receipt?"

Ino's eyes widened.

"Oh!" she exclaimed, rummaging through her pockets, "Lemme just get that for you."

Feeling better, Hinata set down the stack she had lifted.

"Take your time." she said.

Ino smiled at her, then placed a crumpled slip of paper on the desk in front of her, sliding it over to Hinata.

"There you go." Ino said. Hinata smiled back, and put it next to the expense column.

"Thank you for your help, Ino." said Hinata, and the other girl waved her off.

"Don't worry about it, I was just using this as an excuse to get out of the store."

"Is everything alright?" Hinata asked, and Ino just shrugged.

"Yeah," she said, "I guess I just miss dad. I always manned the counter before, but it feels different without him there telling me that I have to, you know?"

Hinata sighed and leaned forward, resting her elbows between stacks of papers.

"Everything feels weird." she said. "So much has changed that it's hard to believe that any of this is real. I also feel like I'm letting people down again."

"Hey!" Ino said, "There is no "Again," because you never let us down. I don't see how you're starting that now."

Hinata sighed deeply.

"I got my closure with Naruto the day after the war, and though we promised to be friends, I haven't gone to visit him since. And speaking of the end of the war, I haven't seen Kiba or Shino since then."

"Well, Shino's been out of town looking for new bugs for his hive to breed with." Ino said. "But it sounds to me like you should grab Kiba, who _is_ still in town, and go visit Naruto with him."

"What about this stuff?" Hinata asked, gesturing at the various stacks of paper. Ino looked at it too, and said, "Aren't you almost done?"

Inspecting the numbers on the last receipt Ino had given to her, Hinata quickly wrote them in the expense column, added it all up, subtracted that from total income, and slammed down her pencil.

"Yes I am. If you could find father for me, that would be great."

Hinata started walking to the door, and Ino—off balance once again—could only weakly protest from the chair.

"W-wait, but I have stuff to do—"

"You just said you were using this as an excuse to avoid the store. I just gave you another one."

Ino stared at the door for a few minutes after Hinata had left. Her new assertiveness would definitely take some getting used to. Finally, Ino stood and walked out.

"Yeah, I guess she did just do me a favor. Still, since it involves me doing a favor for her, I won't owe her anything!"

xxxxx

Hinata found Kiba and Akamaru being swarmed by puppies. While it was not unusual to see him working with dogs, he was never alone like this.

"Hello, Kiba." said Hinata, stepping up to the boy, "Where's your help?"

"Help?" asked Kiba, patting down his jacket as he rose from the eagerly yipping crowd, "I don't have any. Most everyone else is too caught up in the whole "lasting peace" idea to keep training the new dogs, so it's just me."

Hinata looked at him quizzically.

"You don't think the peace will last?" she asked. Kiba backtracked hurriedly.

"No, no, I think the peace will last! Just…you know, not forever."

Hinata smiled at her flustered teammate.

"Well no, nothing lasts forever. I was just surprised you weren't running around celebrating victory. You have always been a bit of a hot-head." she said.

Kiba crossed his arms and looked smug.

"I do think I've matured some since the war." He said, as a puppy chewed on his pants leg.

Hinata bent down and brushed the little dog off. Kiba, who had just barely remembered to watch her movements instead of her ass, snickered a little at the goofy little puppy.

"I'm going to go visit Naruto." Hinata said as she stood back up. "Why don't you come with me? I'd like to see how you've matured, and I'm sure he'd like to see you."

Kiba nodded cheerfully.

"Yeah," he said, "and we also get to visit—" he stopped talking abruptly and faked a cough. Not fooled in the least, Hinata crossed her arms.

"Visit who?" she asked.

Kiba acted innocent.

"Visit who? What are you talking about?" he said, pretending to be confused. Hinata wasn't buying it.

"Kiba," she said, "tell me what you were going to say."

The boy looked extremely uncomfortable.

"Well," he said, "It's nothing bad, It's just that I didn't know if you knew that…uh…"

Hinata figured out where he was going, and finished his sentence for him.

"You didn't know if I knew that Naruto and Sakura are in a relationship. Yes, I did." she smiled at him and put her hands on his shoulders.

"I knew they were together because I talked to Naruto about it. He knows how I feel, and I got closure on that."

Kiba perked up.

"You did?" he asked.

"Yes," she said, "I did. Thank you for your concern though."

Ankle deep in cheerful puppies, Kiba tried his tough guy act.

"Well, y'know, I wasn't actually _concerned_, just, um…"

Hinata laughed and pulled him into a hug. She had really missed her idiot teammate. After a quick squeeze, she let him go again.

"So what were you going to say?" she asked.

"Nothing big," Kiba said, "just that if we were visiting Naruto, we would also get to check up on Sakura."

"Oh, that would be—" Hinata started, but stopped as something occurred to her.

"Excuse me, but are they living together?"

Kiba was very quiet. Hinata suspected he was trying to come up with the best way to answer her. Evidently, he couldn't think of the proper phrasing, because he just gave up and said: "Yes."

"Well," said Hinata, smiling serenely, "isn't that nice?"

Kiba looked shocked.

"Hinata," he said, "are you okay?"

She nodded, still smiling.

"Yes." she answered, surprised with herself even as she spoke.

"I'm doing a lot better than I thought I would."

"But didn't you like him?" asked Kiba, trying to understand what was happening with his friend.

"I confronted Naruto after the war ended." she said. "We talked about the fight with Pein, what I had said to him then—"

"Wait," Kiba interrupted, "what did you say?"

Hinata chuckled.

"I forgot that I never told you." she said. "When we fought Pein, I confessed to Naruto."

"And did he say anything?"

She shook her head.

"I got killed after that. Then things just returned to the status quo." Kiba shifted his leg to bump away a puppy that was trying to climb him. Hinata paid him no mind, and continued to talk.

"That time after the war was the first we'd talked about it. He told me that he and Sakura had started a relationship, and we agreed to be friends."

Kiba had to move again as a puppy started chewing his pants leg.

"And what then? It's been, like, a week. Has anything happened?"

Hinata shook her head.

"No." she said, "That's why I figured it would be a good time to visit."

xxxxx

Upon reaching Naruto's apartment building, Kiba stopped them both at the foot of the external staircase which led to the second floor. Behind them, Akamaru sat down with a muffled "thwump." Taking Hinata by the shoulders, he turned his friend to face him.

"Now," he said, "before we go in, are you sure you're okay?"

Hinata reached up and patted one of his hands.

"Yes, Kiba." she said, "I'm sure."

Kiba didn't seem to hear her. He kept talking as if she had never responded.

"It's just that, when we go in there, there's no telling what we'll find."

He had developed that distant look he got when he was acting cool. Hinata couldn't shake the feeling that he had practiced speeches like this in front of mirrors for a long while. She heard Akamaru flop onto his side behind her. She guessed the dog had heard this presentation before. She also guessed that she was in for a wait. Kiba remained oblivious to his audience's growing apathy.

"You might be exposed to toxic levels of affection." he said, speaking with an authoritative clipped tone. "There will likely be kissing."

"_This is probably something he had prepared for when he became a team leader."_ thought Hinata. _"I hope it's a modified version, because if this is the original form of that speech, I don't want to know what kind of missions Kiba thinks he would be leading Genin on."_

"We stand now at the point of no return. This is your last chance to turn back."

Hinata was starting to get involved in this hypothetical situation. Behind her, Akamaru trapped an ant between his paws and was trying to eat it.

_"Seduction missions are only available to Chuunin and up," _she thought,_ "and only after special training. He can't be expecting to take twelve-year-olds on one of those."_

"If you choose to turn away, I will not judge you. I will understand completely. This is no easy task, seeing such displays as what awaits us in there."

Hinata was looking at Kiba's attire again with new eyes.

_"He's dressed like he's supposed to be a bad boy. He's also got tattoos, and a dog. Maybe this whole time, he's been aiming to become a seduction specialist?" _

She had stopped paying attention to Kiba's speech, fully invested in this bizarre alternate world she had created for her friend.

_"It might be a good idea. Female seduction specialists are the norm. I don't think anyone would see a male one coming."_

Kiba squeezed Hinata's shoulders, calling her back to reality.

"So I'll ask you one more time," he said, staring intensely into her eyes, "are you sure that you're okay with this?"

Hinata forced down the color that had started rising in her cheeks.

_"Good intensity and technique." _she thought briefly.

"Yes, Kiba. I'm fine."

He grinned and patted her right shoulder one last time.

"Good." he said, removing his hands. "Then before we go in, I just want you to know that I'm proud of you."

Hinata didn't know how to react to such dorky and misplaced sincerity, so she just settled on smiling at him and following him up the stairs. Akamaru trotted after them after shaking the dust from the road off of his fur.

Upon reaching the door to Naruto's apartment, Hinata moved to knock, but was beaten to it by Kiba. His knuckles hit the painted wood only seconds before hers, with the resulting awkward syncopated sound making her cringe in embarrassment. Wheeling around to glare at Kiba, Hinata grabbed his wrist.

"Kiba!" she hissed, her cheeks starting to flush with blood.

Kiba was shocked by her forcefulness, out of character as it was.

"I-I was trying to be considerate of your feelings!" he stammered. It was something that sounded good in his head, but was the wrong thing to say right then. Hinata let go of his wrist and crossed her arms.

"You don't need to concern yourself with my feelings. They're fine." she said, in a voice that was strangely heated for the usually timid young woman.

"I told you that Naruto and I already talked, and he and I are on good terms now. Don't worry about me, and don't bother waiting for me to faint. I won't."

Kiba's shoulders slumped, and Hinata found herself feeling—very appropriately—like she'd kicked a puppy.

"I'm sorry." said the boy. It was a testament to how much he cared that he'd been so direct with his feelings. Kiba was of the ranks of men who hide their emotions behind bravado. His sister and mother didn't even get direct apologies. Hinata knew this, and it only made her feel worse.

Naruto opened the door before she could forgive him, and all of Hinata's access to Kiba's emotions were immediately cut off as his iron wall of machismo slammed back down again.

"Hey guys!" said Naruto, predictably oblivious to the way Kiba's shoulders quickly raised and straightened.

"Sorry I took so long to answer the door. I was kinda…" he trailed off, seeming to lose his train of thought. Luckily, he was saved.

"Busy!" yelled Sakura from the back of the apartment, finishing her teammate's sentence for him.

"Busy." he repeated, before flashing a grin.

"So what's up?" he asked. He tried to lean against the doorframe, but Kiba's jovial punch to his shoulder quickly dislodged him.

"Naruto, you dog!" he said, laughing boisterously. Behind him, Akamaru woofed in the hopes that this conversation was about him.

Naruto grinned at him uncertainly and rubbed his arm. Hinata stepped forward and clasped her hands uncertainly.

"Um," she said, "we came to visit, but if now isn't a good time, then we can come back later."

She felt shaky and timid again as she watched the man who had been her crush for so long think of how to respond to her. She was already expecting him to tell her that later would be better, and she was ready to turn around with Kiba and leave. All she needed was the go-ahead from Naruto, and she'd be off. Instead, it was Sakura she heard.

"I'm good! You can let them in!"

Immediately, Naruto dropped the pensive expression he had adopted and stepped to one side of the doorway.

"Come on in!" he said, somewhat redundantly.

Hinata was surprised by this strange reversal of her expectations, but Kiba pulled her into the apartment before she could say anything about it.

xxxxx

Inside the apartment was a bit of a mess. It was cluttered by the meeting of two lifestyles, and strewn with habits that had yet to find their proper order around one another. Books lay on the couch, as Naruto owned far too few bookshelves to house them. A stack of folded clothes lay by the door to Naruto's room, having been evicted to make way for unexpected extras.

Hinata and Kiba sat on a cleared space on the couch. Sakura sat in the small wooden chair across from them. Hinata did not know how awkward the situation was going to become, and Kiba seemed convinced that there was about to be an epic catfight. Every time one of the two girls made a noise above normal conversational tones, he jumped a little. This was made worse when Naruto entered the room. He had spared them a glance, briefly debating joining Kiba and Hinata on the couch, and then decided against it and sat in Sakura's lap. He had a self-satisfied smirk on his face. His body shook as Sakura beat her protests into his back before he shifted, allowing her to poke her head around his shoulder to breathe.

Kiba edged away from Hinata very carefully. He didn't need to, as the girl still seemed perfectly placid. Spying a particularly comfy looking spot on the carpet between them all, Akamaru flopped down and claimed it as his own, his massive bulk creating a sort of fluffy coffee table or footrest for all of them.

Across from them, Sakura spluttered, making a great show of wiping her mouth.

"When's the last time you washed this jacket? I'm not sure what you just got on my mouth, but it was either bits of Sasuke's arm, or pulverized valley."

"Probably the valley." said Naruto, somewhat proudly. "Sasuke's arm never got near my back."

"Considering the hole he put in you last time, I don't think it would matter. He could've just reached through your chest."

Naruto groaned.

"Don't remind me." he said. "That's still probably the worst injury that I've gotten, if only because of who inflicted it."

"Speaking of the valley," Kiba said from his seat by the armrest, "What do you think it's going to be called now? I mean, you destroyed the statues, so that bit of history is gone. It's also not even a valley anymore."

"They could keep the "of the End" part." volunteered Hinata, doing her best to contribute to a conversation between three outgoing personalities. "It's still where a last battle took place, just a different one."

"I _hope_ it was the last battle," said Sakura, rolling her eyes, "but knowing those two, I'm not exactly hopeful. They're probably going to have a new one whenever Sasuke gets back from wandering the country like he's trying to find religion, at which point they're going to level some other perfectly good piece of landscape. And since we can't have thirty or so Geographical Features of the Ends, I vote that we call this one "Lake Dumb-ass.""

Everyone had a good laugh as Naruto blushed and ducked his head.

"Wait," gasped Kiba, "I have to know. Why Lake Dumb-ass?"

Sakura grinned, and the way that Naruto's head drooped even further told that this was a joke she had told him before.

"Because," she said, "the war was already over, but those dumb-asses still had to blow each other's arms off, destroy an ecosystem, and pulverize historical monuments that likely took years of artistic labor just because Sasuke couldn't accept that Naruto was right, and Naruto doesn't know how to talk sense into someone without beating them half to death first."

"I don't know what it is!" Naruto protested, "It's like my fists are therapeutic or something! I punch people in the face, and it somehow makes them feel better!"

"Maybe you just keep fighting folks who get off on that sort of thing." Kiba suggested. He then made the worst decision of the day, when he turned to Hinata and said: "Hey, Hinata. Naruto beat reason into Neji's ass once. Did you ever get the impression that he liked it?"

There was a beat of appalled silence as the situation finally caught up to Kiba.

"Oh." he said, before chuckling weakly. "Open foot, insert mouth."

"Seriously, Kiba?" Sakura demanded, "What, did you leave your brain at home?"

"I forgot! It's hard to think of someone as dead when they've only been that way for a little over a week!"

"How the hell is _that_ an excuse?!"

"Um, excuse me…"

Hinata trailed off as Kiba shouted over her attempt to join the conversation.

"It's not supposed to be an excuse! I was explaining myself!"

Akamaru barked in agreement (to what, he wasn't sure, but if his master was barking, he would too).

Sucking in a breath, Hinata prepared to be assertive. She screwed her eyes shut and slammed her hand down on the cushions next to her. She heard several heavy thumps as a few of Sakura's books bounced off and hit the floor. When the room was silent, she exhaled.

"I understand what Kiba means. I too, have trouble remembering that Neji is dead. Being reminded of that is always painful, but it is also a part of remembering him. Trying so hard to avoid making jokes, or speaking of him in any way but in the most reverent of tones does not honor him. It is acting as if his memory is fragile, which was not who he was. Please, make jokes. Tell every story, even the embarrassing ones. They were a part of him too."

Hinata turned to her teammate.

"Kiba, I don't remember seeing anything that indicated masochism, but I do remember something else." She smiled wickedly.

"Did you know that he used to practice his speeches about fate? Every so often, I would walk by his room and hear him."

Kiba was slack jawed.

"Are you for real?" he asked. Laughing, Hinata nodded.

"He started after he and Lee were put on the same team. After he fought Naruto, there were a few weeks of confused mumbles, then that was the last of it."

Naruto looked a bit dazed.

"I didn't know I had that kind of effect on people. And that was that? No more speeches?"

Hinata didn't meet his eyes.

"Well, no." she admitted. "There were a few times that I heard him practicing after that, but it wasn't the same."

Kiba snorted and leaned back on the couch. "What, it just didn't have the same spark?"

"No. He was trying to emulate you, Naruto. After dragging others down, I think he wanted to try and inspire."

Sakura nuzzled Naruto's side, causing Kiba to twitch fearfully.

"Aww," she said, "You completely turned his life around. Screw Hokage, you'd be a great motivational speaker."

Kiba shook his head.

"No." he said, "I veto that. You hear me? Vetoed. He would probably wind up starting a religion."

"I fail to see how that's a problem. We beat up a god, maybe it's high time we got some more recognition for that. I mean, I'm pretty sure that's a qualification for godhood, right?"

"Pein thought he was a god," said Hinata, "and Naruto still beat him."

Sakura rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, _thought._ That rabbit lady actually was one."

"Let's go back to the religion thing." Kiba interjected. "Are you sure you would be okay with a bunch of people worshipping your boyfriend?"

"I wouldn't."

Everyone turned to look at Hinata, who went bright red under the attention.

Petulantly, she muttered "I was worshipping him before it was cool."

They all lost it, laughing the hardest they had all week. It was wonderfully cathartic.

After calming down, the group of friends lapsed into a comfortable silence.

This was fine with Hinata. She had always found a certain quiet enjoyment in still moments. She knew it would not last though, with the nature of her friends.

Over in the chair, Sakura shifted Naruto on her lap and peered around him to get a better view of their guests.

"Hey, Kiba," she asked, "why is there so much space between you and Hinata? Are you leaving a seat for Shino?"

Kiba had forgotten about the distance he had put between himself and his teammate.

"No," he said, "I'm not."

"Where is he anyway?" asked Naruto.

xxxxx

It was a gorgeous day. Shino was spending it in one of the few meadows near the village that hadn't been either crushed by Pein, or pulverized by Naruto and Sasuke's spat. It was an all around pleasant place with a fair amount of greenery, but as his colony buzzed around him, Shino was only reminded of the desolate pockmarked wasteland that had been left by the Fourth War. He seemed to remember that battleground as a forest, originally. It was a shame, not only how much life had been lost, but how much of the land had been destroyed because of a broken system, some asshole ninja, and a bitch of a god. It would be tiresome work, replanting all of that by hand.

As Shino looked on, one of his Kikaichu landed on a flower to rest, and head butted a rather territorial bee. As the now pollen-smeared beetle attempted to help itself to some nectar, Shino felt the stirrings of an idea.

_"Perhaps," _he thought, _"those seeds don't need to be planted by hand. There might just be another use for my family aside from war."_

And so Shino began to plan for the future.

xxxxx

"Probably geekin' out over bugs." said Kiba.

Hinata interjected, "he'd be happy you remembered him, though."

Naruto grinned sheepishly, and Sakura reached around him to point at the empty spot on the couch.

"Well if he isn't coming, then budge over. You two are acting like you've just met or something." She stopped and considered something, briefly.

"Actually, you know what?" Sakura stood up, and lifted Naruto with her.

"You two talk." She dumped her boyfriend onto the couch next to Kiba, then grabbed Hinata's hand.

"You're coming with me. We're having a little girl time."

xxxxx

Sakura took the two of them outside, and leaned them both against the railing across from the apartment doorway. On their backs, the orange heat of the setting sun kept them warm where it squeezed through the buildings. The normally warm lands they lived in were cooling down with the arrival of the winter months, so the heat was welcome.

"I wanted to talk to you about Naruto." Sakura said, and was amazed by how much kindness Hinata could express when she smiled. Here was a girl who had little else but love in her heart, and not for the first time Sakura felt envious of the other woman's purity.

"I would be surprised if you didn't" she said. Sakura was faintly confused.

"Why is that?"

"Well, all of our friends have been concerned about my feelings towards him. It is the tactful thing to do, and you've never been anything but tactful."

"I hope that was sarcasm, because if not, then I don't think you paid much attention when we were younger. Or now."

"It was." Hinata said. "I'm trying something new. Clan heads need to be strong, right?"

Sakura shook her head.

"Sarcasm doesn't make you look strong, it makes you look cynical. You don't need to change who you are just to take on your father's role. I would be sad if you did."

"You would?"

"Hinata, you're an admirable person. We live with one of the most brutal jobs available, and you somehow managed to be the kindest woman that I have ever encountered. All that you ever needed was more confidence in your actions, and that doesn't come from acting meaner or more jaded. Just keep doing what you enjoy, and find a way to live with who you are comfortably. That was probably one of the most important lessons that I learned from Lady Tsunade."

"It is a very good one. Neji taught me something similar, though I don't know if he ever meant to. I will try and take both to heart."

They remained comfortably quiet as the sun set on their backs. As the cool of night began to crawl into its place, Hinata spoke again.

"I know it was just a common phrase when you said 'one of the most important lessons I have learned,' but I'm still curious. What was _the _most important thing that you learned?"

Sakura grimaced.

"Easy." she said. "How to keep a heart beating."

And Hinata, who had not been there and did not hear the story, missed the special meaning behind that lesson. Instead, she laughed softly at the somewhat morbid joke that Sakura had told.

"That is a very important thing for a medic to know."

They both had been facing the apartment, but Sakura's focus seemed to be more on who was inside.

"You have no idea." she said.

Through the door, she heard the laughter of the single greatest way she had surpassed her master.

"Weren't we going to talk about Naruto?" Hinata asked, as his voice had served as an excellent reminder.

That was a conversation that Sakura no longer wanted to have. She shook her head and took the hand of her friend.

"No need. He talks about himself well enough. Let's go back in."

Holding hands, the two walked into the warm and well-lit apartment, and left the chilly night air on the other side of the door.

xxxxx

It was around dinner time when Hinata and Kiba left the apartment, and Kiba was far from ready to let this day end.

"Wanna get food now?" he asked. He had offered Hinata the crook of his arm to hold, which went against his bad boy image a bit, but only served to further cement Hinata's ideas of Kiba as a seduction specialist. Not particularly eager to get back to her duties as future clan head, Hinata decided her father could handle whatever was going on, and agreed.

"I would be fine with that." she said. "Would you mind if I checked in on someone?"

"Not at all," said Kiba, and Hinata began to walk.

"Who are we meeting?" he asked, "I know them, right?"  
"It's TenTen, so yes. It isn't very far, I just want to make sure that she is doing okay."

"Oh, right. Because of the whole Neji thing."

"Yes, Kiba. Because of the whole Neji thing. Can I trust you to be sensitive?"

Kiba laughed.

"C'mon, Hinata, you know me! I'm not really a "sensitive" kind of guy."

Before she could reprimand him, he patted her shoulder affectionately.

"I'll do my best for you though."

He sounded incredibly warm and sincere. Hinata could actually feel her face heating up a bit.

"Have you considered working for the seduction core?" she asked on a whim. Kiba looked puzzled.

"No, why? Isn't that usually a job for girls?"

Hinata wondered why she had asked, too. She was now throughly embarrassed, and turned bright red as a result.

"I-it was only a thought."

Kiba crossed his arms and stopped moving. His face was pensive, which was an odd expression for him. Behind him, Akamaru sat and waited for his partner to keep walking. Hinata had no words. Whatever part of her that usually churned out sentences had locked up under indecision. Should she be trying to run damage control? Should she be offering an explanation? The option to curl up in a ball and die was looking particularly good.

"I mean," started Kiba, rescuing Hinata in a way he would never be able to see, "I guess nobody would see it coming. But I wanna know why you _had_ that thought in the first place."

Hinata hid her face. This was exactly why she shouldn't try and act like Naruto. He could get away with blurting stuff out, but there was too much weirdness in her head for that to ever be a safe option. Kiba noticed this action and how red her face was, and jumped to a conclusion.

"Uh-uh." he said. "No. I am not going to be the rebound."

This was the closest Hinata had been to fainting from embarrassment since Naruto had come back from his trip. There was only one thing left to do. She head-butted Kiba in the sternum.

"T-t-that's not what I was asking you to do!" she protested. "I just thought it was what you were going for!"

Winded, Kiba rubbed his chest.

"What do you mean, "what I was going for?" Why did you think I was trying to be a seduction specialist?"

Hinata was well aware of the audience they were getting. Kiba had never been good at volume control, though he was still better at it than Naruto.

"I…I mean, the way you dress and act…I thought you were trying to look like a bad boy."

Kiba looked shocked. Then, he began laughing.

"Kiba?"

He grabbed her shoulders and spoke in an exaggerated husky voice.

"Oh, but I _am_ a bad boy! Better be careful around me, 'cuz I'm a _beast!"_

She grabbed one of his wrists and dragged him off with her.

"We're going to visit TenTen now, and you will never speak of this again."

"Ooh, baby. You know I don't play by your rules!"

"_Kiba!"_

"Yes, ma'am."

Akamaru trotted behind them, happy to be moving again.

xxxxx

TenTen's door was answered by Lee in an apron, and the smell of cooking food.

"Hello, friends!" he said, "are you here to visit?"

"Who is it?" called TenTen from the kitchen.

Kiba and Lee both answered at the same time.

"Kiba and Hinata!"  
"Hinata and Kiba!"

There was a beat of silence from the kitchen as TenTen untangled the cluttered syllables.

"Are they staying for dinner? We don't have enough ingredients left to make ravioli for them, but we could probably think of something!"

Hinata and Kiba shared a look.

"Ravioli?"

"A food from distant lands." Lee explained. "It is similar to dumplings, but it is full of cheese and covered in a tomato sauce. It is quite delicious!"

He wilted a little.

"…when the recipe is followed." he added.

"Did you not?" asked Hinata, and Lee shook his head.

"Not yesterday. TenTen and I took liberties with the food that we should not have, and were punished accordingly. Tonight, we are making sure to follow instruction."

"Or at the very least," TenTen said, "know the flavor of the spices we add before we add them."

"So are you here to join us?" asked Lee.

"We were actually going to invite you two out to eat with us," said Hinata, "but if you two are already cooking, then we will have to do it another time."

"Of course." Lee said, "are you certain that you do not wish to join us?"

Kiba waved him off.

"No need, man. We won't interrupt your quality time. Hinata just wanted to check in on everything."

He turned towards the kitchen and yelled, "How ya doin', TenTen?"

"I'm fine!" she yelled back, and Kiba was satisfied.

"Well, looks like our work here is done. You two be good!"

Lee grinned and gave them a very enthusiastic thumbs-up.

"Understood! We will be excellent!"

The door closed and Kiba turned to Hinata.

"Okay," he said, "all's well. Let's go."

"Wait, why the hurry? I still wanted to talk?"

She had to walk quickly to catch up. Kiba was taking stairs two at a time.

"Didn't you see? They were having a _moment!_ We couldn't interrupt that!"

"What? No they weren't."

"Look, Hinata. Just trust me on this one. I could _smell_ the chemistry there."

"No, Kiba, you could smell their cooking."

He reached the bottom of the stairwell with her hot on his heels. His feet crunched faintly in the hard dirt of the road, and Hinata pulled up short as he spun to face her.

"I could, and that was just as good of a reason to leave."

"Oh." Hinata thought for a moment. Akamaru whined behind her. "Well, should we go check on Ino?" she asked, determined to find at least one friend to bring with them. Kiba looked a little guilty. Hinata assumed it was because he had needed to remind himself that Ino's father had died.

"Has she been okay?" he asked. Behind her, an impatient Akamaru nudged her back and whined again. Hinata reached back to pet him as streetlights flickered on, replacing the faint white glow of the waning moon with the muddy yellow of their bulbs. Thinking back to the morning, Hinata answered him.

"She seemed fine when I saw her."

Kiba grinned wolfishly, something he was effortlessly good at. Considering his family, that trait might be genetic.

"She's been pretty distracted with Sai around."

Hinata was a little put off by that. It did not seem like something Ino would do.

"Really?" she asked, obviously incredulous. Kiba waved her off.

"Naw, I was just joking. He's been trying to help though."

Hinata finally joined Kiba on the street, allowing Akamaru to slip past and take his place next to Kiba. Hinata knew it was not entirely polite, but she had to ask anyway.

"Has he been any good?"

Kiba laughed.

"From what I've seen? No. He might be loosening up, but that dude is still totally Mr. Roboto. We're just lucky that Inoichi gave his daughter lessons in psychology and therapy. I mean, parents don't want to die as young as he did, but they still plan to die before their children. Given our profession, I wouldn't be surprised if he had given Ino lessons on how to cope with his death. You know what I mean?"

Hinata nodded, then motioned with her hand towards Ino's home.

"I do. Let's talk and walk."  
"Right."

The conversation continued as the two of them began walking towards one of the more central commercial areas in the village, where the Yamanaka flower shop/ Ino's house was located.

"It would make sense," Hinata said, "for her to be the one among us best suited for coping with close deaths. I do wonder how Shikamaru is doing though."

Kiba cursed lowly at another recent death forgotten.

"Maybe Ino's been to talk to him? Fuck."

Hinata took his hand and rubbed it soothingly.

"Don't worry, Kiba. Inoichi and Shikaku were people who were alive for as long as we knew. It is not surprising that you would assume that they still are, and it is nothing to beat yourself up about."

"I'm not—"

Hinata stopped walking and placed a finger on his lips.

"Hush." she said, and he complied. "I am not done talking."

He listened in stunned silence.

"It is difficult to lose a person that we have known for a long time. This is something that I have noticed from Neji's death. They have become such a large part of our lives, that it takes time for our minds to fully understand just what is now gone. We do not realize how much of our lives are based around their presence, and it is only natural that we will catch ourselves making assumptions that they are still around. Do not feel bad about these moments. It does not mean that you have forgotten them. You are only discovering a place where their life was a part of yours."

She remover her finger and hugged him, thankful that his jacket was leather, as he would notice no wet patch from her tears.

"I am done," she said, keeping her voice level only through force of will, "you may speak now."

He hugged her too, but only after wiping away one or two tears of his own.

"I don't have anything to say either," he said, "you shut down all the shit I was gonna whine about."

"Good." she said.

Kiba looked around them. The street was fairly empty, with quiet houses on either side. Most were lit, but some were dark. Not everyone had made it back from the war. Though Hinata was still holding him tightly, Kiba still wanted to leave this street. The empty homes were like corpses, and he who had lost no one felt them judging him. Behind their darkened eyes were rooms that should not have been empty, and sacrifices that should not have been made. Sacrifices he had not made. He wanted to go.

Bending down, he held Hinata behind her knees, scooping her up into a bridal carry.

"Talk and walk." he said, and keeping his eyes on a lit house in front of them, walked briskly down the street. Akamaru huffed and trotted after them.

He expected Hinata to squirm, insisting she could walk on her own. He expected her to blush. Instead, she wrapped her arms around his neck and held on.

"Do you feel guilty?"

He shook his head.

"No."

"Please don't lie to me."

"Maybe a bit, but we aren't talking about it here."

"Can we talk about it later?"

"I don't know."

"We will."

"Fine. Whatever."

xxxxx

"We're here," Kiba said, breaking two minutes of silence. His manner was brusque, but he was still gentle when setting Hinata back on her feet. Her shoes clacked on the wood of the front porch, wood that creaked soon after as Akamaru laid his bulk down on it.

"Let me knock this time." she said.

Kiba was puzzled. "Why? Is there a secret knock that only you two know?"

Hinata shook her head.

"No. I wanted to avoid repeating what happened at Naruto's apartment."

Kiba sighed.

"I'll remember that her dad is dead. The hell does that have to do with knocking, anyway?"

"Nothing! I was talking about when we both knocked at the same time!"

The boy looked perplexed.

"That happened?" he asked.

"Yes." Hinata answered, and then knocked on the door. Kiba felt like he had been cheated by this, but he could not explain why.

"Wait…" he mumbled, "did you…did you plan that?"

"What are you talking about, Kiba?"

Ino opened the door, interrupting Kiba's explanation.

"Yes?" She said, "Can I help you two?"

"We were just visiting."

"How you holdin' up?"

Hinata and Kiba answered at the same time, showing a proclivity for awkwardness matched by few others.

To her credit, Ino took them in stride.

"I'm holdin' up alright. Sai's been over here helping out in his own weird way. Don't tell him I said this, but I'm helping him more than he's helping me. That guy has a lot of issues that need working through."

"No shit." Kiba deadpanned.

"Yeah, it has been a nice distraction untangling mister robot's emotions into something resembling healthy. Something to keep me from obsessing over my dead dad."

Hinata and Kiba stood quietly in the doorway. Ino patiently waited for them to speak. Finally, Kiba nudged Hinata and said:

"So, is it okay if she brought it up?"

His companion smiled.

"Yes, it is."

She then turned to Ino, who had been watching them.

"Did you have any trouble finding my father?" she asked. Ino shook her head, grinning.

"He was at a bar, unwinding. He was really nice and polite."

Kiba looked surprised by this.

"Wait, a bar?" he asked, "Not a teahouse?"

Ino shook her head.

"Not a teahouse. Trust me, I think the people there were just as weirded out as you, Kiba. Especially the poor guy who was sitting on his right."

"What happened to him?" asked Hinata, who was feeling curious, but worried about what she would hear. Her father had a naturally cold manner about him that was wonderful at starting bar fights. She hoped the man that Ino was talking about had not been hurt too badly for trying to start something that he could not finish.

"Oh, nothing happened." Ino said, and Hinata felt relief wash over her. That was not lost on their blonde friend, who patted her shoulder sympathetically.

"Sorry," she said, "I shouldn't have left you guys hanging like that. He didn't do anything to the guy, but he didn't have to. The man had no idea what to do. I don't think he went into that bar expecting the head of the village's most affluent family to come in, get plastered, and start trying to make friends with the bar."

"Then why bring him up specifically?" Kiba asked. "Her dad was being friendly to the entire bar."

Ino smirked.

"Her dad wasn't patting the rest of the bar on the back. That man probably went home paranoid, certain that Hiashi did something to his body that he just hasn't seen yet."

Kiba winced.

"Ouch," he said, "poor guy."

"I know!" Ino laughed, and Kiba shook his head.

"No," he said, "I was talking about Hiashi. It sucks that he was just trying to be friendly, and that bar was just suspicious. He should be able to unwind too."

Kiba earned major brownie points with Hinata that day.

"Oh." Ino sounded embarrassed that she had not though of it like that. She bounced back quickly though.

"Yeah, preconceived notions are a bitch." She said. "You'd've thought that we'd've learned that by now, after Naruto went and proved us all wrong."

"Habits are hard to break." Kiba remarked. "We get that in dogs too. Something they learn at a young age can be one of the toughest things to train out of them. Humans are pretty similar like that. Who'd'a thought?"

Ino snickered.

"That's something psychologists have been saying for a long time, but of course you were the one to relate it to dogs."

Kiba grinned wryly. Were he his younger self, he would have taken exception to being simplified to being "the dog boy." Now, he took it in stride.

"Hey," he said, "it's what I do."

Kiba started a little when Hinata laid an unexpected hand upon his shoulder.

"I think it's sweet. It shows that you're a caring person."

Kiba was at a loss for how to respond to that. His was a personality better suited to banter and roughness. So instead of saying anything, he lifted his hand and patted hers before she let it drop.

"Yeah, he's a real doll." Ino snarked. "So anyway, sorry to cut this visit short, but I was about to go grab Shikamaru. He and I are having dinner at Chouji's house. Are you two doing anything?"

This seemed like one of those branches of opportunity to Kiba. Like, what would happen if he said yes? What would he miss out on if he said no? More often than not in situations like this, he said yes out of curiosity.

"Naw, we can go with you." He said, and was immediately worried when both Ino and Hinata looked uncomfortable.

"What?" Kiba asked.

"KIba, she was just asking that to be polite."

"Really?"

"Yes, Kiba. Really." Said Ino. "I wasn't actually asking. It'd be pretty rude for me to show up with extra guests."

Exasperated and more than a little embarrassed, Kiba threw his hands up into the air.

"Well how was I supposed to know that? You sounded sincere!"

"Well of course I did, dumb ass! I'm a ninja! We're supposed to be believable!"

"You're supposed to sound believable _to your enemies!"_ Honestly, this shit was why Kiba didn't bother with manners. Too much hassle.

"Whatever." He quickly said, cutting off her response. "I bet Sai didn't have to put up with this."

Ino grinned wickedly.

"Oh, he didn't." she said. "He's already there, because that boy _knows _what I want him to do."

Kiba did not back down.

"Already meeting friends, is he? Has he graduated from fuckbuddy so soon?"

Ino buffed her nails on her shirt, acting unconcerned.

"Well, he was nice enough, so I gave him a chance. Even if he wasn't, you know I'd be keeping a pretty boy like him around for a while."

"You really expect a lot from your boyfriends, don't you?"

"More than you expect from your girlfriends, I'll bet. Just find a leg to hump and you're happy."

Kiba hissed through his teeth. Ino might not be as scary as Sakura or Hinata, but she was still a wicked bitch with a sharp tongue. Behind them, Akamaru whined.

"Ouch." he grunted. "I actually felt that one."

Ino pinched his cheek.

"Aww," she cooed, "poor baby."

Her hand was quickly swatted away, then Hinata pulled him back.

"Okay, that's enough." she told him. To Ino, she said, "Thank you for the invite, but I wouldn't have been able to go anyway."

"Why not?" Kiba asked.

"If my father was in a bar, then I want to go and make sure that he's alright, and keep him company. I think that I'll be heading home."

She gave Kiba a hug.

"Thank you for spending so much of your day with me, Kiba."

Ino bid her goodbye as Hinata walked down the street, towards her house in the higher part of town. In the porch light, Kiba seemed frozen in place. Behind him, Ino called into the dark after his friend.

"Bye, Hinata! Thanks for visiting!" satisfied when she saw Hinata turn to wave at her, Ino then patted her other guest on the shoulder. "And you too, Kiba. Thanks for swinging by."

Grabbing her keys and locking the door, Ino stepped around Kiba as he watched his teammate leave.

"Yeah…you know." he mumbled, "always happy to visit. Call whenever."

Now alone in front of a house that wasn't his, Kiba stared at the back of the girl who had been with him since he was young. He exhaled heavily, struck suddenly by the weight of time, and the realization of how much had passed since then. How much he had once been the short-sighted young boy, puffed up with aggression and arrogance, never thinking that the world would change. It was inappropriate for one so young as him to say that it felt like a lifetime ago, but those words still echoed in his head. Lives had certain passed for his friends. They were no longer the same people as the kids he had graduated with. So much had been altered. So much was now different. As he looked at Hinata down the road, stopped in the wash of light from a store, he thought about her. How her dreams seemed to only be available in halves. She was going to change the laws of her clan to abolish the caged bird seal, but Neji would not be around to see it. She was finally calm and confident enough around Naruto to hold conversations with the boy, but it was long after he was attainable. Although she seemed to be okay, Kiba could not help but imagine her as hurting. And though she had made it clear to him earlier that she needed no coddling, he still wanted to take care of her.

"I swear to whoever cares enough to listen," he growled, "I will make sure that you're happy."

It was really the best that he could do. He began walking to his house, uneasy about having to turn his back on Hinata to leave. Kiba never paid much attention to symbolism, but even he was observant enough to be unhappy with the image this presented. Irrational as it was, he was half tempted to walk backwards just to ruin the message being created.

You know what? Fuck it. He was walking backwards. He knew nobody was watching, he was proving nothing by doing this, and that just walking home did nothing to diminish his conviction to help Hinata, but he was doing it anyway. Spinning on his heel, Kiba turned 180 degrees and found himself face-to-face with a very surprised Hinata. He almost jumped out of his skin.

"Holy SHIT!" he yelled, leaping backwards just as his fist lashed out in surprise.

Hinata went totally red and held her hands out placatingly.

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to startle you!"

Kiba straightened up from where he had landed on the road. He tugged his jacket to make sure that it wasn't crooked. Akamaru licked his hand to make sure that everything was okay, and he wiped the drool off on his pants.

"It's alright. I thought you were going home. Is something wrong?"

"No, nothing. I just…" she poked her fingers together, a gesture that he had not seen her make for a long while. "…I forgot that we hadn't had dinner yet. I didn't want the day to end like this either."

Kiba's heart had been so tight in his chest up until now. It relaxed at this moment, leaving him shaky. His words were heavy with relief when he spoke.

"It felt weird, right? Like a sad ending? I felt that too! So what now? Do you want to come get dinner at my place? I promise I have no plans."

Hinata smiled and shook her head.

"I do still want to get back to father. I don't want him to be lonely. But I would like it if you came with me. Would that be alright?"

Kiba felt nervous all of the sudden.

"Would your dad be alright with that?" he asked, and was shocked to see Hinata roll her eyes.

"He knows you, Kiba. You have been my teammate for years."

"Okay, fine. I get it." He still felt nervous, but he could cover it up well. He was a ninja, after all. "I'll come with you."

Evidently, the night was full of surprises for Kiba, because shy little Hinata took his hand to lead him off. Akamaru followed behind them, happy to just be a dog, and to see his master—after years of being a soldier—just be a boy.

xxxxx

**AN: And that's that. I might make an epilogue later, but for now, I think I'll work on Zero Sum. I will not put this story as complete just yet, but don't expect much else for a while.**

**-Post**


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